Luffy's Renewed Adventure
by F-ckthesystem125
Summary: When an old man with the Open Open fruit offers Luffy the chance to redo his adventure, he takes it. Watch as Luffy goes back in time to change history with more crewmates. Oh, and lest I forget. Luffy will have his eyes 'opened' to women, if you catch my drift. HAREM FIC! Rated M for sexual content and cursing. R&R. I don't own One Piece.
1. Try again

Impel Down.

A prison where the worst of the worst criminals were sent. A place filled with horrors beyond your wildest nightmares. A place that any sane person would wish to avoid. And it was in this horrible place, filled with the screams of anguish from the prisoners, was a young man. His name: Monkey D. Luffy.

It had been four years since he was sent here. Four years of being chained to a wall, covered in dried blood. Fours years...since he lost everything.

Luffy was a fearless pirate captain. His crew, the Strawhat Pirates, were known world wide. They were feared by the marines and to those who read whatever propanga the marines had the newspapers posted. Each and everyone of it's crewmembers were strong in their own way. Each one ready to fight alongside each other to see their dreams come true. Each one was-

"Dead." mumbled Luffy. His face, once a cheery, smiling face full of hope and want for adventure, was now one of emptiness and sorrow. He had failed them all. He had worked to become stronger so that he could protect them...but it was all in vain. He and his crew were one island away Raftel, the last island on the Grand Line, and the rumored resting place of the One Piece, Gol D. Roger's greatest treasure. They were ready to go, but the marines had sent everything they had at them. After the fight, the marines were left with only about 3% of what they had sent. And the Strawhats...were dead before Luffy's eyes. He just stood there, lifeless, and covered in blood, as the remaining marines shackled him in seastone and dragged him away.

And now, he was here. Left to live out his days in this horrid prison. He sighed as he closed his eyes, feeling tired and mubling before falling into slumber "Everyone...forgive me."

"Wake up."

Luffy's eyes slowly opened. He was expecting to see a prison guard through iron bars, telling him it was meal time. He wasn't expecting to see the sight before him at all. He was in a small room, lying on a bed. He looked around, genuinely confused as to why he was in this strange place instead of his prison cell. He sat up, still in his prisoner outfit and seastone shackles. "Where...am I?"

"Bought time you woke up."

Luffy spun around to see what looked to be a very aged man walk into the room. He was slightly taller than Luffy with gray hair and wrinkles. He wore a brown, button up shirt, tan slacks, and white shoes. He looked at Luffy, smiling as he came closer. "Glad to see you're awake." he said in a raspy voice.

"Who are you old man?" Luffy asked as the man stopped about 3 feet away from him. He watched as the man raised his hand at him in a fist. He stared, wondering what the old man would do.

"Open!" said the man as he opened his hand. Luffy suddenly heard a 'click' as his shackles fell off of him. Luffy looked at his freed arms and legs, rubbing them as he felt his strength come back.

"Whoa! How'd you do that old man? Do you have powers too?"

"The Open Open Fruit." the man said with a nod. "I am a man that opens things. Like that." he said as he pointed behind Luffy. Luffy turned around and saw what looked like a hole in the hole. But his eyes widened at the sight in the hole. It was his prison cell. He kept staring even as the man walked to the hole and placed his hands around it, pushing the edges together until it closed. The old man then looked back at Luffy, who then looked at the old man.

"So you opened up a hole into my cell and pulled me out of there?" he asked. "Thanks old ma-" was all he said before he collapsed.

"Are you okay?"

"Hungry."

Some time later, Luffy was eating a mountain of food as the old man stared in awe.

"They said you had a big appetite, but this is unreal." he mumbled as Luffy wolfed down the food before him. After what felt like an eternity, Luffy laid back the chair patting his swollen belly, giving a loud belch.

"Ahh, that was some great food. This beats that slop in Impel Down." he said before looking at the old man. "Thanks again."

"No problem Luffy."

Luffy just smiled before he then realized something. "Hey, how do you know my name? I never told you."

"I know who you are Monkey D. Luffy. Or, better known in the world as Strawhat Luffy. Captain of the Strawhat Pirates."

Luffy's eyes widen in horror as the mentioning of his crew flooded his mind with painful memories that he had locked away. He remembered each of their faces as they lay before him, broken and lifeless as he clenched his eyes shut before grabbing his head with both hands and began to smash it against the floor. "NO NO NO NO! STOP IT!" he screamed as tears began to stream from his eyes before he turned to the old man. "Why did you remind me?!"

The old man looked at the boy, suddenly realizing that he had opened up old wounds that were best left closed before he gave the boy a sad look. "I'm sorry."

"THE STRAWHAT PIRATES ARE DEAD!" Luffy screamed as he lunged at the old man, pinning him to the wall. The old man just looked at Luffy with a blank expression as Luffy looked ready to lose his mind. "WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS?! YOU BROKE ME OUT OF PRISON TO TORMENT ME OR SOMETHING?! WHY DID YOU EVEN BREAK ME OUT ANYWAY?!" Luffy screamed before he was panting, looking ready to snap if he didn't like the answer. The old man stared at him for a moment before closed his eyes and let out a sigh before smiling.

"What if I told you that I could let you try again?"

Luffy looked baffled at the question. "What?"

"Take a look at that paper over there." he said as he pointed to a newspaper on the talbe. Luffy looked at him before walking over and opening the paper to see the picture of another old man in a marine uniform before reading the headlines.

Marine Admiral Coby Retires.

Luffy blinked for a moment, confused at the words. "Marine Admiral...Coby? Where?"

"The old man in the picture. That's Marine Admiral Coby." the old man said. Luffy looked back at the picture again as he looked at the aged marine. His eyes slowly widened as he stared at the picture.

"EEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHHHH! THAT'S COBY! HOW'D HE GET SO OLD IN ONLY FOUR YEARS?!"

"It's simple." the old man said as he stood up and walked towards Luffy. "It's because it's been over sixty years since you've been imprisoned."

Luffy just screamed at the old man. "SIXTY!? NO WAY! IF THAT WERE TRUE...I'D BE OLD LIKE YOU!"

The old man smiled. "That's because I brought you sixty years ahead of your time. The hole from before wasn't into your cell. It was into your time. You Monkey D. Luffy are sixty years in the future."

Luffy froze as solid as a statue as the old man's words sunk in. "The...future?"

"Yes." the old man replied as he took the paper away. He watched as Luffy slowly fell back into a chair, unable to comprehend what has happened. Luffy just stared at the ceiling, replaying everything that just happened in the last couple of minutes. Him being pulled here, the food, his nakama, trying again...trying again?

"What did you mean by 'try again' old man?" Luffy asked as he looked at the old man with curiosity and a faint glimmer of hope in his eyes. The old man smiled back at Luffy.

"It's exactly what I said. Try again." he said before standing up. He then held out his hands in front of him with his forefingers and thumbs touching each other, forming a hole. "Open!" he said before the area inside his fingers changed. "Look inside."

Luffy stared at the hole as walked towards it. He then peeked inside and looked around before jumping back. He shook his head, thinking he saw wrong before looking again. As he stared, his eyes began to water as his lips trembled. He saw a sight he hadn't seen in years. It was his old crew. His nakama. He was there with them too, laughing and cheering with everyone.

"My...my...my..." Luffy said before breaking down sobbing. "MY FRIENDS!"

"Yes." the old man said as he closed the hole.

"No wait!" Luffy screamed. "Bring them back! I wanna see them again!"

"You'll do more than that Luffy." the old man said with a smile. "You'll travel with them once more."

"R-really?" Luffy asked, trying to get himself under control. "Why would you d-do all this for me?" he asked. The old man looked at him with a grim stare.

"Because...this world is too twisted to live in anymore." he said before closing his eyes. "The marines are out for blood in their asinine pursuit of 'Absolute Justice'. It's gotten to the point that if you look at them funny, they'll suspect you of criminal activity and come busting down your door. That's why I brought you here, in hopes that you would go back and stop them."

"How?" Luffy asked.

"By achieving your dream. By becoming...King of the Pirates!"

Luffy stared long and hard at the old man before him. He had a chance to be reunited with his old crew. To go on adventures again. To chase their dreams together again. He could feel his hope swelling in his chest as tears of joy fell from his eyes, his lips forming the biggest smile he'd ever shown in God knows how long.

"Well?" asked the old man. Luffy didn't need a second to think this out.

"I'll do it!"

This is my first time writing a One Piece Fic. It'll explain more things in the next chapter. Now don't rush me. I need time to think more chapters out.


	2. Training

It had been three days since Luffy had been pulled out of Impel Down. He was excited and raring to go back in time to see his friends again. The old man, however, told Luffy to stay to regain his strength, which had dwindled during his time in prison. He was to be sent back tomorrow, giving him 24 more hours to rest and recuperate.

"Just you wait guys." Luffy said as he was staring out into the sky. "I'll come back. And this time, no one will stop us from achieving our dreams." After a shower and some fresh clothes, Luffy seemed unable to contain himself. All the years of hopelessness he had were forgotten as he felt the dying embers of hope burn into a roaring flame inside his soul. Not even the old man's denial to send him back early could get Luffy down. He decided to ask the old man again just for the heck of it. "Hey old man." Luffy said as he walked through the door. His smile dropped to a confused blank stare as he saw the old man looking through a small hole he made. His curiosity got the better of him as he walked over to see what the old man saw. "What are you staring at?

"Hmm?" the old man replied before looking at Luffy. "Oh. Just watching your crew's old adventures. Sky Island, Fishman Island, Punk Hazard. You had quite a lot of adventures." he said with a smile.

"Yeah. Can I see?" Luffy asked, ecstatic to see it all again.

"Sure. One moment." said the old man. He then grab the edges of the hole and pulled it wider for them to get a better look. "See?"

Luffy couldn't contain himself as he looked around in joy. He could see his ship, Thousand Sunny, and his crew all around and started to cry. "I can't wait to do it all again."

"Just remember. You're going back to make sure what happened last time won't be repeated." said the old man with a stern voice. Luffy rubbed his eyes with his arm. "Right. Hey, can you see all my friends?"

"Of course." he said as he waved his hand over the portal. He showed various people from Luffy's past. Dorry and Broggy. Bon Clay. Shirahoshi. "I especially like this one." he said before he waved his hand again. "And this one." he said when it showed Boa Hancock."

"Oh. Hancock and Shirahoshi. Why?" Luffy asked.

"What do you mean why?" the old man asked. "Because they're beautiful." he said as he looked back at the picture, blushing with bit of a goofy look.

"You okay old man? Your face is turning red. Are you sick?" Luffy asked. The old man just stared at Luffy. He had seen that Luffy was dense through the portal, but he didn't think was This thick headed. He put his hand to his chin in thought before he waved it over the portal to show a close up of Nami.

"What about her?" he asked.

"That's Nami. She's my navigator and friend."

"And her?" he asked when he waved again and showed a picture of Robin.

"She's my friend too. She loves archeology."

"You must be kidding me. You mean to tell me you don't see them as beautiful?" he asked. He seemed to get his answer as Luffy just stared at the picture with a happy grin. "This is insane!" he shouted. "How can you not notice? Look at them. They have figures that men would kill to hold close!"

"Dirty old man." Luffy said, causing the old man to fall over. He quickly got up and just stared at Luffy, who was just staring at a portal, trying to get it to change to see more adventures.

'How can he not go crazy at the sight of those women? That Hancock woman was fawning all over him, yet he didn't care. What is he blind? I've played out all his adventures and he definitely reacted to that Nami chick. What could it be? He's definitely old enough to...' he was stuck in mid thought as he looked at Luffy and the portal before his eyes widened. 'Maybe...yes. That might work.' he thought before smiling.

"Luffy." he said, walking towards Luffy. "Do you mind if I try something?"

"What?" Luffy asked as the old man held up his hand.

"Look at the picture. Hard." he said. Luffy looked at the picture of Robin. He looked at the picture from top to bottom, his face staying a complete blank.

"What do you mean? It's Robin."

"Close your eyes for a moment."

Luffy raised an eyebrow before saying "Okay." and shut them. The old man then seemed to concentrate as the tips of his fingers started to glow in his clenched fist. Luffy's eyelids started to glow the same as his fingers.

"OPEN!" the old man shouted as he opened his hand as Luffy opened his eyes, causing the glow on his fingers and Luffy's eyes to brighten for a split second before disappearing. Luffy blinked a bit before looking back at the old man.

"Did you want to open my eyes? I can do that myself." Luffy said as he smiled. "You're weird old man."

"Just wanting to test my theory." he said before he changed the picture to Zoro. "Now then, watch the portal and don't take your eyes off it."

Luffy stared at the portal, smiling at seeing his old crewmates as they were shown. Zoro, Franky, Brook, Nami.

DOKI.

Luffy suddenly felt his heart race at the sight of Nami. His cheeks went red as he stared at her. The old man noticed and changed the picture, to which Luffy's face and heart rate returned to normal. He then changed it to Sanji, Ussop, Robin, Jimbei, and Chopper. The old man noticed him blush again when Robin's picture was shown. He smiled as he shut the portal.

"What was that?" Luffy asked. "Why is my heart racing?"

"When did it start racing?" asked the old man. Luffy stared at him for a moment.

"When I saw Nami and Robin. Only them." he answered, feeling his chest as his heart was slowing down to normal again. "It's a mystery feeling." he said, causing the old man to fall over again.

"It's simple." he said as he got back on his feet. "I opened your eyes to women."

"Huh?" Luffy said, clearly confused.

"I noticed that you were focused on adventures and pirating. You must've had those on your mind for so long, you just never seemed to have thought of women. So I used my power to open your eyes to them."

"Really?" Luffy asked, thinking back to the feeling when he saw them. "I like this feeling. I feel warm inside."

"Great." said the old man. "Now then. Let's discuss at what point I'll be sending you back. As I said before, when I send you back, it'll be as if your current body blends into your younger one, giving it your memories, strengthes, and so on."

"Right." Luffy said.

"Now the time I"ll be sending you back will be a short time after Ace has left on his journey, so around when you're 14."

Luffy just nodded with a blank look on his face.

"After you're back, you'll have three years to train under Garp, while keeping him clueless about all this. Do you understand?"

Luffy smiled at the old man, whose face went deadpanned as he asked "You have no idea what I just said, do you?"

"Nope." Luffy said with a laugh. The old man just sighed. "Oh brother."

The next day came and Luffy couldn't stop bouncing off the walls. He was gonna see everyone again. He was gonna be stronger than ever and use that strength to protect his friends.

"Come on old man. I can't wait any longer." he said, running in place and smiling like a kid at Christmas.

"Don't rush me Luffy. It takes a lot out of me to open portals in time." he said as took a few deep breaths. "And stop calling me old man. I told you many times, my name is Phil."

"Right Old Man Phil." Luffy said, still waiting to go back. Phil just sighed as he took a deep breath before shouting "OPEN!" and plunging his hands into the air and opening up a portal to the past, showing a 14 year old Luffy, sleeping in a tree branch with his Straw Hat over his face.

"My hat!" Luffy yelled in excitement. He hadn't seen that hat in years. He almost forgot what it was like to wear it. He watched as Phil slowly opened the portal wide enough for him to walk through.

"Okay." Phil said as he struggled to keep it open. "Remember. Use your time before you set off on your journey to train."

"Right. And Phil...thanks." Luffy said as he and Phil shared a smile before he jumped through. "WHOO HOOO!" was the last thing Phil heard before he let go and the portal shut. He smiled again as his home around him, as well as himself, began to fade out.

"Good luck kid." echoed Phil's words before he vanished.

Luffy woke with a start before falling out of the tree, hitting his head on the ground. "Oww." he groaned as he rubbed his head. He looked around a bit, then opened his eyes wide as he remembered. "I...I'm here...I'm back! I'M BACK!" he shouted as he began to around, laughing and cheering like never before. "This is great. It actually worked." he said before he stopped and opened his vest to look at his chest. He saw that his scar from Akainu was there and he glared at it. "You...you took them from me last time. You took Ace. Then my friends! NOT THIS TIME YOU MAGMA BASTARD!"

"LUFFY!" came a shout behind him. He spun around to see Garp behind him with a bottle of sake in his hand. "What are you shouting about? You better not be trying to weasel out of training again!"

Luffy stared at Garp as he lowered his head so his hat shadowed his eyes. "Grandpa." he said in a low calm voice.

"Hmm?"

"I had a dream...I had a lot of friends...and I lost them all." he said as a tear rolled down his cheek. He then looked up at Garp with determined look in his eyes. "Grandpa, I'm going to become King of the Pirates!"

Garp just narrowed his eyes at Luffy. "How many times must I tell you-"

"So I want you to teach me everything!" Luffy shouted, stopping Garp in the middle of his sentence. "Those techniques that you know. Where you moved so fast you disappeared. Where you jumped in the air like you were flying to get me down from those balloons you tied me to." he said as he was trembling before he shouted "TEACH ME EVERYTHING!" as a wave of Haki spread throughout the forest.

Garp just stared wide eyed at Luffy. To think that his Grandson had this much power at such a young age astounded him. His shock soon passed as he began laughing.

"So, you want me to teach you everything eh? Including those techniques which are called 'The Six Powers' as well?"

"Yes. I need to get stronger. If I don't...then that nightmare will become reality." he said as he got into a fighting stance. Garp smiled as he placed his bottle down and got ready as well.

"Alright brat. You asked for it. But you're still gonna become a marine and that's final!" he said. He and Luffy stared at each other for what felt like hours before they lunged at each other screaming.


	3. The Adventure Starts Anew

It was time. He had trained for three years under Garp and was now ready to cast off. Luffy took one last look around the forest he had grown up in and smiled. He took in a deep breath before rushing off to the bandit house.

"Dadan! Everyone! I'm leaving now." Luffy said as he peered inside the house. The bandits all looked at him while Dadan had her back turned to him.

"Good. Now we can finally get some peace around here, you little monster." Dadan said, not looking at Luffy at all. Luffy just smiled and was about to walk away, but turned back to them and said "I hate mountain bandits, but I like you guys."

"Will you just get out of here, you rotten brat?!" Dadan shouted through her tears that she failed to wipe up with her hanky. Luffy's smile grew before he bolted off through the forest, running at speeds even he didn't know he could. In what felt like no time at all, he had already ran all the way to the docks of Fushia Village. Some of villagers were a little surprised to see Luffy appear of nowhere, but they smiled anyway. Soon, the whole village appeared to see Luffy off, cheering him on and wishing him good luck.

"Well Mayor, he's off." said Makino as she smiled.

"Hmph." grumped Mayor Woop Slap. "Off to bring shame to our village no doubt."

"Alright everyone!" Luffy shouted as he untied his little fishing boat. "I'm off!" And he slowly drifted away from his village, waving back to them all. "Bye Mayor! Bye Makino! Bye Everyone! Wish me luck!" Luffy shouted as waved. His eyes widened a bit as he felt a presence lurking under the water before his smile returned. Out from under the water rose the Lord of the Coast. Luffy decided to have some fun and pretend not to notice, even with all the villagers crying out in panic. The sea king lunged at Luffy, only for Luffy to smile and turn around at the last second, backhanding the sea king so hard that it flew out of the water and skipped across the surface a few times before using the same hand to wave it goodbye as well. "Bye Fish!" he said, stunning the villagers silent. Luffy then looked to the clear blue sky and smiled as memories of his friends came to him. He felt a few tears fall before rubbing his eyes and smiling.

"Wait for me everyone. We'll be together again." he said before he thought of Nami and Robin again. He pulled his hat down over his eyes as he blushed. "I gotta be careful. I might turn into Sanji." he said before he started laughing. He stared again at the sky with a determined look. "You know, Phil did say to change history. I wonder how I'll do that this time. Last time," he said before he lowered his eyes to the boat as he sat down, letting the wind and waves carry him along. "Last time, they got us because they threw every marine they could spare at us. Hundreds of thousands of them against 10 of us." His eyes shot open "That's it! I'll get more crewmates. More friends! I've come across other strong people who weren't in my crew before, I'll recruit them this time. This is gonna be so fun!" He then stood up and shouted for the whole world to hear, "I'M GONNA BE KING OF THE PIRATES!"

()()()()

It had been a few hours since Luffy left for his adventure, and on cue, his first obstacle had appeared.

"There's the whirlpool I got sucked into last time. Alright then," he said before eating all the fruit in the barrel and sealing himself inside. "Time for a ride." He waited for a moment before he felt it. His boat was slowly being swallowed by the whirlpool as he spun around for a few moments. "Ahhhh I'm getting dizzy." he said as his eyes spiraled around. It lasted for a few moments before it ceased. All was quiet for a moment as the barrel then floated away from the whirlpool and surfaced. He closed his eyes and used his Observation Haki to see everything through the barrel. He smiled as he felt the presence of everyone on both the Cruise ship that was sailing close by and the far off Pirate Ship that was hiding behind the rocks. His eyes opened when he felt...her. He could see her plain as day with his haki, and he couldn't help the rush of feelings coming to him. He wanted to burst out of that barrel, stretch over to the ship, and squeeze her in a hug like there was no tomorrow, but he remembered why he was here. He took a deep breath to calm himself down as he tried to focus on other things. He took his mind off of Nami when he felt two sailors trying to throw a hook out to his barrel. He smiled when he heard the splash of water.

"Missed." he said with a laugh as another hook latched on and dragged the barrel toward the ship. He felt them slowly lift the barrel up to the deck before another starting shouting.

"PIRATES!"

'Here they come.' Luffy thought as volley of cannonballs rocked the ship, causing his barrel to roll around. Luffy spun inside for a moment before it rolled down some stairs and stopped in one room. 'That was fun.' Luffy thought. 'I'm kinda sad I missed it the first time.' He waited yet again for few more moments before he heard a "Hello?"

'Coby!' Luffy thought. It was good to see his friend again. He listened as Coby looked around, hoping no one would be.

"Whoa. That's a big barrel." Coby said as he walked toward Luffy's barrel. Luffy smiled as felt Coby roll the barrel away, only to be stopped by three other pirates.

"Well lookey here boys. It's our favorite little coward." one of them sneered. "You trying to duck out of all the action runt?"

"N-n-no. J-just getting some p-provisions is all." Coby stammered as the three men stood the barrel up on one end.

"We'll take it off your hands brat. Probably some booze."

"B-but if Lady Alvida finds out-" Coby started to shout.

"She won't as long as you keep your trap shut. Got it!" yelled another pirate, causing Coby to agree in fear. Luffy heard one of them cracking their knuckles and knew this was his cue. Just as the pirate swung his fist, Luffy burst out of the barrel with his fists in the air, hitting one of them as he shouted "WHAT A RUSH!" Coby and the concious pirates just stared in bewilderment at Luffy while he just looked down at the knocked out pirate.

"Who is that?" Luffy asked, never really knowing who he was the first time around before he looked back at the other pirates gaping at him. "Who are you?"

"WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?!" they screamed.

"Your friend will catch a cold sleeping on the floor." Luffy said as he got out of the barrel.

"WHO DO YOU THINK PUT HIM THERE?! they screamed again before pointing their swords at him. "Who do you think you are brat? We're the ruthless Alvida Pirates and-"

"I'm starving. You know where the food is kid?" he asked Coby, ignoring the other two pirates.

"DON'T IGNORE US!" the pirates screamed as they brought their swords down on Luffy, causing Coby to scream. Luffy didn't even flinch as the swords broke at stuck to the ceiling. Both pirates fell back, looking scared. Luffy looked at them both before asking "What was that for now?" Both just stared in fright before they asked "W-who are you?" Luffy just smiled as he crossed his arms together. "Me. I'm Monkey D. Luffy. Hello." he said before the pirates grabbed their unconcious shipmate and fled. "Shishishishi." Luffy laughed before looking at Coby. "Those guys are funny. Anyway, what's your name kid?" Coby just stared at Luffy in awe before he snapped out of it and answered "M-m-my name's C-Coby."

"Great, so where's the food?" Luffy asked with a smile.

"There s-should be a pantry over there." he said as he pointed towards a door, which Luffy immediately rushed over and flung the doors open, cheering at the sight of the food. He then jumped in a started chowing down on apples as Coby walked into the room. "You really should leave. Those pirates will be back with their friends to kill you."

"Who were they?" Luffy asked, though he knew who.

"Those guys were pirates under the command of the lady pirate Captain Alvida. She's ruthless with that iron mace of hers and she won't hesitate to shatter your skull with it." Coby said as he started shaking in fear.

"Are you one of them?" Luffy asked. He saw Coby look at him and explain that it wasn't by will, but by accidently boarding a boat of theirs, thinking it was a fishing boat and had been brought on as a cabin boy for the last two years.

"Why not leave?" Luffy asked, waiting for the reaction he knew would come.

"No way. Impossible, impossible. I can't escape from Alvida. Just thinking of what Alvida would do to me scares me so much I could throw up. Nope, nope, nope, no-"

BAM! Luffy's fist shot out, nailing Coby in the head as he fell back clutching it. "Why'd you hit me?"

"Felt like it." Luffy said smiling. Coby just sat back up as he rubbed his head. "Heh. Well I'm use to it anyway. All the other pirates on her ship smack me around for laughs."

"So you're a coward and a weakling huh?" Luffy said with a laugh. "I hate people like you." Coby just hung his head in shame. "Way to state the obvious Luffy." he said before looking back at Luffy. "So Luffy, what made you go out to sea?" he asked. Luffy smiled at him and answered without hesitation. "To become King of the Pirates." He had to hold back his laugh at Coby's face.

"You're...a pirate?" Coby croaked out.

"Yep."

"Crew?"

"Just me. I just started." Luffy said as Coby froze as a statue. Luffy smiled again as he waved his hand in front of Coby's face. 'You know' he thought, 'I've always wondered if Coby's brain shut down here.' He waited until Coby stood up and found his voice.

"The King of the Pirates is the title given to one man who has it all. Wealth. Fame. Power. That means that you're aiming for the ultimate treasure. You're going after the One Piece!"

"Yep." Luffy answered, smiling as Coby was freaking out once again.

"No way no way no way no way! Millions of other pirates are after that prize and you're only one person. It can't be done! Impossible, impossible, impo-"

BAM!

"Why'd you hit me?"

"Felt like it." Luffy said as he took his straw hat off his head to stare at it. "I made a promise to a great man one day be King of the Pirates." he said as he remembered Shanks. "And if I die trying, then I'll die." he said, smiling without a hint of hesitation in his voice. He looked out of the corner of his eye to see Coby looking at him.

"Your...dream?" he said before he looked at the ground in thought. Luffy just waited for Coby to speak what he remembered him asking. "Luffy. Do you think...if I tried...that I could be a marine?"

"A marine?" Luffy asked, faking a look of surprise as Coby looked at him with determination. "It's always been my dream to be a marine and hunt down criminals! I know it would mean we'd be enemies, but do you think I could do it?"

"I don't know. You won't either if you don't get off this boat." Luffy answered back as he headed for the door.

"Then I'll do it. I'm not gonna be Alvida's cabin boy forever. I'm gonna join the marines! And then I'm gonna catch Alvida first!" he screamed before the ceiling above him caved in, causing him to panic and run, his courage going out the window in spades.

"Who are you going to catch Coby?" said a gruff woman's voice as the debris cleared, showing a fat woman with more chins that stars in the sky. She looked over at Luffy before grinning. "Who's this runt? He doesn't look like pirate hunter Zoro." Luffy smiled at the mention of his nakama before Alvida barked Coby's name, making the boy cower in fear. "Who is the most lovely woman on the seas?"

"W-w-why that's y-you Lady Alvida?" Coby stammered. Luffy decided to really have some fun here as he pointed at Alvida with a surprised look and asked "That's a lady Coby?" The pirates, Coby, and Alvida just gaped at Luffy as the pirates looked frightened as Alvida growled before snapping. "BRAT!" she screamed as she brought her iron mace down towards Luffy, who quickly jumped out of the way. "Let's go." he said to Coby before grabbing him by his shirt collar and jumping out of the hole Alvida made. Luffy stared around as the pirates surrouned him. He smirked at the idea of fighting enemies pirates after so long.

The pirates charged him, but Luffy easily took them out without breaking a sweat until they all charged him at once. Luffy ran off, feigning fright before he grabbed the mast, stretching his arm out, causing the pirates to stare at Luffy who looked back with a smile. "Fooled ya." he said before they all freaked out and ran away.

"Gum Gum...ROCKET!" Luffy shouted before slamming into them all, scattering them all over the deck. Coby just stared at Luffy before asking "W-What are you Luffy?"

Luffy stretched his cheek out as he said "I'm a rubberman."

"Rubber...man?" Coby asked before he looked behind him and shrieked at the sight of Alvida.

"You've eaten a Devil fruit, haven't you?" Alvida asked.

"Yep." he replied as he let his cheek go.

"Are you a bounty hunter?"

"No. I'm a pirate."

"Is that so?" she said with a smirk. "Well if you're a pirate, then that makes us enemies right?"

"Yep." Luffy said with a smile. He looked out of the corner of his eye to see a figure move along Alvida's ship. His smiled widened before Coby got his attention. "Luffy, I'd run if I were you."

"Why?"

"Why? Because Alvida is..." his voice trailed off as he stared at Luffy, remembering what he said before. Luffy kept a blank face as Alvida smirked.

"I'm what Coby?" she asked. Coby looked back at her, determination in his face as he shouted.

"ALVIDA IS...THE UGLIEST SEA HAG I'VE EVER SEEN!"

Luffy just laughed as Alvida looked ready to explode in anger as she glared at Coby. "What was that runt?"

"That's right! You're ugly! And also, I'm through being your cabin boy. I'm getting out of here and joining the marines!" Coby said as his courage soared.

"Do you have any idea what you're saying brat?!"

"I know what I'm saying! I'm gonna fight for my dreams from now on. I'm gonna join the marines and catch criminals. AND I'M GONNA START WITH YOUR UGLY ASS FIRST!"

"ENOUGH!" Alvida shouted as she raised her iron mace. Coby screamed but stayed put. He was gonna fight for his dreams, even if it meant death.

"Well said Coby." Luffy said as he stepped in front of Coby, taking the full force of the hit.

"LUFFY!" Coby screamed, terrified at the thought of Luffy getting killed. Luffy just smiled under his hat. "That won't work."

"WHAT?!" Alvida screamed as Luffy slowly lifted a hand to the to her mace.

"It's because I'm rubber." he said before flicking his finger, shattering her mace into pieces before stretching his hand back. "Gum Guuuuum...PISTOL!" Luffy screamed as he slammed his fist into Alvida's gut, sending her flying. She screamed until she was nothing but a star in the sky. Luffy's arm returned to normal before he looked back at Alvida's men. "Bring Coby a boat. He's joining the marines." Luffy said as he glared at them all.

"Uh...well." one of the pirates said, looking nervous.

"Well what?" Luffy asked. He was still glaring, but inside he was confused as to what could be the problem.

"W-well, when you shattered that iron mace, some of the pieces struck the life boats." he said as he pointed to the now useless boats.

"Oops." Luffy said before cannonballs started raining down around them.

"It's the marines!" Coby shouted as three marine vessels closed in on them. "If they find me on this boat, my dream will die before it starts!"

Luffy looked around, trying to figure out how to get them off the boat before he realized that their was one boat that was still useful. He smiled as he turned to Coby. "Don't worry Coby. You're joining the marines for sure." he said before he grabbed Coby and jumped over the railings. He looked down and sure enough, there was another boat in the water with one person tying a bag of what could only be treasure safely to it. "HEADS UP!" he shouted, gaining her attention before he and Coby fell into Nami's boat, shocking her."

"Are you crazy?!" she shouted at Luffy.

"Nope." he said with a smile before pointing at himself. "I'm Luffy. This is Coby." he said as he pointed at Coby, who passed out due to fear. "Can you help us get away from here?"

"Why should I? Who are you guys anyway?"

"Less talking. More rowing." he said before he let go of Coby and grabbed an oar, rowing away as fast as he could. He smiled as he rowed while Nami screamed as she hung on for dear life. After about 5 minutes, Luffy finally stopped rowing and looked back at both Nami and Coby, who had woken up after awhile, and smiled. "Well that was fun."

"No it wasn't!" they both screamed at him, causing him to laugh. Nami sighed as she looked at the Luffy. He was a little taller than her with black scruffy hari. He was wearing an red vest, blue shorts, open toed sandals, and a straw hat with a red ribbon. She then noticed he had a scar under his left eye. She then turned to Coby. He wore a white shirt, black slacks, and white shoes, looking a little like a marine outfit. He had pink hair, blue glasses, and a little baby fat on his chin.

"Who exactly are you two anyway?" she asked.

"This is Coby." Luffy said as Coby raised up his hand and gave a meek greeting.

"And you?" she asked looking at Luffy.

"Me? I'm Monkey D. Luffy. Hi." he said, smiling at her. "Who are you by the way?" he asked, knowing full well who she was.

"I'm Nami." she said, keeping a close eye on the two of them. "So, where are you two going anyway?" she asked. Luffy smiled at her before answering.

"Do you know where the closest Marine base is?"


	4. Meeting Zoro

It took a few hours, but they had arrived at Shells Town. Luffy and Coby had gotten off and stared at the town while Nami tied up the boat. "Alright." she said as she glared at Luffy. "This is where we part ways pirate." She took her bag of treasure and stormed off, leaving them both to do whatever they wanted.

"She looked like she wanted to kill you when you said you're a pirate Luffy." Coby said as he watched Nami walk off. Luffy just laughed as he watched her leave.

"I like her." he said as he kept laughing.

"I still can't believe you wanted to come here." Coby said as they both started walking into town.

"You wanted to join the marines right?" Luffy asked as he was looking at a fruit vendor. "Well then here's your chance." he said as he bought a pear before taking a bite. Coby smiled at the thought of his dream coming true.

"Thanks Luffy." Coby said with gratitude in his voice. "But why did you want to come here as well?"

"I want to recruit Zoro as my first mate." Luffy said. As soon as he spoke Zoro's name, everyone in town backed away from him in fear. Luffy just grinned at everyone's reaction.

"Why would you want to recruit that guy?!" Coby yelled as they started walking again. "Haven't you heard what they said about that guy? He's a Pirate HUNTER. Know why they call him that? It's because he HUNTS PIRATES!"

"So?" Luffy asked with his pinky up his nose, leaving Coby to gape at his blatant stupidity of all this. "If he's strong, I want him in my crew. Besides, he sounds cool." he said before he looked forward again as he asked "Who runs the marine base here again? Moron?"

"No. It's Morgan." Coby said. Just like with Zoro, all the townsfolk backed against the walls of the buildings. Luffy burst into laughter, remembering how funny all this was.

"I'd expect that reaction from hearing Zoro's name, but from Captain Morgan?" Coby said as they kept walking. Luffy just pulled his hat over his eyes as he frowned in thought. Morgan was one of many 'honorable marines' that Luffy had encountered. He remembered when all those marines had come after him and his crew, throwing wave after wave at them, all in the name of upholding their twisted sense of justice.

"Here it is." Coby said, bringing Luffy out of his thoughts. They both looked up at the the building, surrounded by a stone wall with an iron gate that read MARINES on it. Coby couldn't believe his eyes as he started saying his goodbyes, only to notice a moment later that Luffy was now hanging off the wall, peering over it. "What are you doing Luffy?!"

"Looking for Zoro." Luffy replied before jumping off to move further down to the wall and jump up to peer over it again. Coby walked over to him.

"He wouldn't be out in the middle of the base Luffy." Coby said as he started to climb up next to Luffy.

"Then who's that?" Luffy asked. Coby looked at where Luffy was looking before nearly having a heart attack at the sight of him. There, in the middle of the yard, tied to what looked like a crucifix, was Roronoa Zoro. He wore a white shirt, black pants, black combat boots, a green sash around his waist, and a black bandana covering his green hair with 3 earings on his left ear. Though he looked like shit, he was eminating a dangerous aura around himself.

"No way." Coby squeeked out. "It's really him. Pirate Hunter Zoro."

Luffy stared at Zoro with a smile under his hat, happy to see his first mate and friend again. He couldn't help the smile that seemed to take up his whole face as memories came back to him. He was so happy, he almost didn't notice Zoro call to them.

"Hey, you two." Zoro said, making Coby flinch. "You're bothering me. Beat it."

Luffy just smile as he heard a ladder clack against the stone wall next to him and Coby. He looked to his side to see a little girl with big brown eyes and brown hair tied into little pigtails at the top of the ladder with a finger to her lips, telling them to be quiet before jumping over to the other side. Luffy watched her while Coby started freaking out, calling to the girl to stop. She walked over to Zoro smiling.

"You must be hungry." she said, clearly not intimidated by Zoro glaring at her. "I made you some food."

"Whatever it is, take it and scram kid." Zoro said.

"They're rice balls." she said as she opened the clothed item in her hands, revealing two big white rice balls. "They're my first time making them, so I hope they're good." Luffy watched as Zoro looked at them like starved animal before looking back at the girl. "I don't want those kid. Leave me alone."

"But-"

"Do you have a hearing problem or something?" he shouted, clearly losing his patience. He was about to say more, but was stopped when a group had started walking towards them both.

"Temper temper Zoro." came a whiney voice. Everyone looked to see a few marine soldiers around a blond lanky kid with his hair in an oval shape on his head. He wore a purple suit, white shoes, and a smug grin as walked towards them. Zoro sneered as the man looked at the girl. "Oh. Rice balls? Don't mind if I do." he said as he took one and started eating it.

"Hey! That's for Zoro, not you." the little girl said before the blond teen spit the food out in disgust. "What is this?! It's got sugar in it. You're supposed to use Salt! Salt!"

"But I thought it would taste better if it was sweet." she said, sounding sad.

"Well you thought wrong you little brat!" he screamed as he knocked the other rice ball out of her hand and started stomping both into the dirt.

"Stop!" she screamed, trying to get him to stop, but failed as he kept stomping until it was nothing but a white pile with his shoe print on them. She stared at it as she tear up and sniffled. "But I...I worked so...so hard on those."

"Ugh. This is why I hate kids." the teen said. "Don't you know the rules of this base kid? Anyone who helps criminals in anyway are to be executed on sight. By order of Captain Axe Hand Morgan." He watched the little girl pale before ordering one of the marines to throw her over the fence.

"But...but Helmeppo sir. She's just a little girl." the marine said. Helmeppo grabbed him by the collar before pulling him face to face.

"I said throw her over the fence. If you're not gonna follow my orders, I may have to tell my father of your insubordination." he said. The marine looked frightened, but lowered his head as he walked over and picked the girl up and walked toward the fence. He told her to curl into a ball before lobbing her over screaming. Coby looked horrified as he watched her get tossed over and head for the ground. He closed his eyes, waiting to hear her smack into the ground. Her screaming stopped and both Coby and the girl opened their eyes to see that Luffy was standing there, holding her up. Coby looked at where Luffy was a moment ago, then back at where he was now, blinking few times.

'How'd he get over there that fast?' he thought as Luffy set her down, asking if she was okay.

"Yeah. I'm fine." she said looking up at Luffy who just smiled.

"That's good. You should go home now. You're mother must be worried about you." Luffy said as he looked back at the town. He waved her goodbye as she left with a small smile before he turned back to the fence and climbed back up to hang on it and look at Zoro and Helmeppo.

"You really are a stubborn one. Aren't you Roronoa Zoro?" Helmeppo said in a smug tone.

"That's right." Zoro said as he glared back at him. "I'm gonna survive a whole month, then leave as our agreement. And you better not back out of your part."

"I wouldn't dream of it Zoro." he said with a laugh. His laugh died in his throat as he felt a chill run up his spine. He and the other marines were rubbing their arms as if cold as they looked around, confused as to why they felt cold when it was warm and sunny. Zoro felt it too and looked around until he saw Luffy and Coby on the wall again. His eyes widened a bit as he looked at Luffy.

'Is that guy doing this?' he thought as Helmeppo finally spotted them as well.

"Hey you!" he screamed. "Who are you two? This is a marine base."

"He's spotted us Luffy." Coby said as he looked at Luffy. Luffy didn't look away from the group in the yard as he traced a circle the size of the palm of his hand on the stone wall. "What should we do?"

"Hey Oval Head." Luffy called at Helmeppo, who just gawked at him for insulting him. Luffy pulled his hand away from the wall before smirking. "You're wide open." he said before slamming his hand on the wall. Faster than any of them could blink, a perfect cylinder of stone shot out of the wall and hit Helmeppo straight in the groin. Helmeppo just stood there for a few moments before his face slowly twisted into one of pain as his eyes crossed before rolling back in his head as his mouth slowly fell open, yet no sound came out. He was trembling and sweating profusely as the pain finally reached his brain before he slowly fell forward at an agonizing pace and hit the ground with a thud.

"HELMEPPO!" the marines shouted as they hoisted him into the air and ran back towards the base. Coby just gapped at what happened while Luffy smirked. Zoro was cracking up laughing as he hung from the post he was tied to. Luffy then jumped over the wall and walked towards Zoro before stopping a few feet away from him. Zoro slowly stopped laughing but kept the smirk on his face as he looked at Luffy.

"I don't know who you are kid, but I'd give just about anything to see that again." he said as they both shared a laugh. "So who are you kid?"

"I'm Monkey D. Luffy, a pirate. I heard about you Zoro." he said as he looked at Zoro. "They say you're a swordsman, along with being a heartless pirate hunter."

"I am a swordsman, but anything else is just rumors." he said as he looked at Luffy.

"Hmm. You don't look like either if you ask me."

"No one asked you." he said as his face slowly fell back to a frown. "Anyway, what does a pirate want with a pirate hunter anyway? Never mind, I don't care." Luffy just faked a pout as he turned to leave, but stopped and smiled as he heard Zoro speak again.

"Wait. Before you go, can you get that for me?" Zoro asked as he looked back at the crushed food. Luffy bent down to pick up the food. "You mean this?" he asked. "It's got more dirt than rice in it now."

"I don't care. Give it to me! Every grain of rice!" he said as he opened his mouth. Luffy looked at him as he threw the mud ball into Zoro's mouth. He watched as Zoro choked the food down before coughing a bit.

"Told ya."

"Delicious." Zoro said in a quiet voice with his head down. "Tell her I enjoyed the food." he finished. Luffy just smiled as he headed towards the wall.

()()()()

Back in town in an alley, Luffy and Coby were talking with the little girl named Rika.

"He liked it?" she asked with a big smile.

"Yep. Every grain." Luffy said as she sighed in relief. "I'm glad." she said.

"I don't get it. He doesn't seem like the bad guy that everyone says he is." Coby said.

"He's not a bad guy at all!" Rika screamed. "He's in there because...because of me." she said. She then went on to explain how about a month ago, Helmeppo owned a wolf that he used to terrorize the town with. He waltzed into her mother's restaurant, letting the wolf scare everyone there. She then told them that it tried to attack her when she tried to shoo it out of the building, only to be sliced up by Zoro, who was enjoying a meal at the time. Helmeppo saw this an act of aggression towards him and threatened to execute the mother and daughter unless Zoro stayed imprisoned for a month. "If anyone are bad guys, it's Helmeppo and his rotten father." she finished.

Luffy stayed quiet as he listened. He heard it all before, but it still left a bitter taste in his mouth. Coby also couldn't believe that a marine would abuse his power in such a manner. Both were brought out of there thoughts as they heard crashing coming from inside the building next to them. Rika ran inside, screaming for her mother as Luffy and Coby followed her inside. They watched as Helmeppo came in, his face in a scowl as he sat down at table before knocking a bowl of fruit off of it and into the wall. Luffy looked over to see Nami again before smiling again.

"Gimme your food and best drink on the house woman!" he screamed in bit of a high voice. As they poured him a drink, he began talking. "Lousy strawhat bastard. If he thinks he can strike me and get away with it, he's so very wrong. After I execute Zoro, he's next."

"Who will you execute tomorrow?" said Luffy as he appeared behind Helmeppo. Helmeppo froze as his eyes widened before he slowly turned around to see a grinning Luffy standing behind him with his arms folded across his chest. He slowly turned blue in the face as his mouth hung open for a few moments before his eyes rolled back again and he fainted, leaving Luffy to howl with laughter.

"Big baby." he said as the marines who accompanied him carried him off towards the marine base. Luffy stopped laughing as he muttered. "Zoro is definitely joining my crew."


	5. Luffy Vs Morgan: Round 2!

"I am great." said a big man in his office.

"Yes sir." agreed a marine behind him, though he could think of a thousand things about the the guy that proved him wrong. "You are indeed great."

"Then why is it that the 'tributes' from the townsfolk have dwindled?" he asked.

"Sir, the townsfolk haven't the money to-"

"It's not whether they have money! It's about whether they respect me." he said, clearly annoyed by the town's 'disrespect'.

"FATHER!" came the shrill cry of Helmeppo. "There's someone in town that I want you to kill for me!" Normally Morgan, Helmeppo's father, wouldn't even bother looking at his son for something like this. However, he turned and raised an eyebrow at what he saw and heard.

"Why is your voice so high?" he asked while seeing Helmeppo holding a bag of ice between his legs.

()()()()

Luffy was walking towards the marine base again while Coby was yelling at him not to do anything even more stupid.

"Are you okay with this?" Luffy suddenly asked as he looked back at Coby. Coby stopped ranting as he listened to Luffy. "Are you okay leaving this place as it is with guys marines like Morgan and Helmeppo in charge?" Coby slowly let Luffy's question sink in as he remembered how everyone reacted around them.

"Well no-"

"Then shut up and follow me." Luffy said with a smile as he started walking again.

()()()()

Zoro was jolted out his sleep. He looked around, remembering where he was before he saw Luffy standing in front of him and frowned again.

"You again? What do you want?" he asked. Luffy smiled as he said "I want you to join my pirate crew. Zoro just raised his eyebrow at him before answering.

"Not a chance. I got things I want to do, and becoming a pirate isn't one of them." Zoro said in a bored tone. Luffy smiled again as he crossed his arms.

"Sorry, but I've made up my mind. You're joining my crew Zoro." Luffy said.

"DID YOU NOT HEAR A WORD I SAID?! I SAID I'M NOT JOINING YOU!" Zoro screamed.

"By the way, where are you swords Zoro?" Luffy asked, ignoring Zoro's refusal. Zoro calmed down as he explained that Morgan's son took them away. Luffy smiled again. "Alright then. I'll go get your swords then."

"Huh?"

"And if you want them back, you have to join my crew."

"YOU LITTLE SHIT! THAT'S BLACKMAIL!" Zoro screamed. He just sighed as he lowered his head before looking up and seeing Luffy run off in away from the base. "Hey, it's in the other direction!" Zoro screamed. Luffy looked behind him and stopped.

'Just like last time. I thought the building was this way.' Luffy thought before muttering. "It's a mystery building." He then smiled as he got over the shock and stretched his arms out, rocketing over to the building, freaking Zoro out as he did. Luffy looked up at the roof, remembering that everyone was up there for some reason, and decided to figure out what this time. He then stretched his hand up to the roof, but slowly pulled himself up to see instead of flying over everyone. When he got up there, he peeked over the top to see the marines pulling up a giant statue that looked just like Morgan. He frowned as he looked and saw Morgan himself up there as well.

He was a tall man with blond hair and tan skin. He wore a Marine Captain's jacket, a blueish black button up shirt, pants that changed from light blue to dark blue all over it, and brown boots. He also had what looked like some weird metal jaw over his lower jaw, and an axe instead of a right hand. He also wore an annoyed look on his face due to Helmeppo yelling at him to kill Luffy for striking him.

"Even you've never hurt me before father!" he said, trying to lower his voice as Luffy's attack from earlier still hadn't fully worn off, as evident to the ice bag he held against himself. Luffy had to use all his willpower to not burst out laughing.

"Do you know why I've never hurt you?" Morgan asked.

"I-it's because I'm your beloved son, fath-"

"WRONG!" he shouted as he hit Helmeppo with his fist. "It's because you're a fool who's not worth striking!" He then hoisted him up by his collar with the tip of his axe and brought him to his face. "I allow you to use my status because it doesn't bother me. But don't you forget one thing. I am the one who is great!" he bellowed before dropping him. He then went on about how he got his rank through strength. How titles are what matters and that this statue would show everyone his greatness. Luffy just listened with a bored expression, but perked up when Morgan mentioned a little girl.

"A girl? Yes I dealt with her." Helmeppo said.

"Then that means she's dead right?" Morgan asked.

"What? No. She's just a little kid." Helmeppo said.

"You there. Find that girl and kill her!" Morgan ordered one of his men.

"What? I can't do that."

"Did I just hear you say you won't obey my orders?" Morgan said as he walked over towards the marine. "I said kill that little girl!"

"I...I won't. I won't do it!" the marine said. Morgan brought his axe down, aiming to kill the marine. His blade was stopped less than an inch away from the marine's shoulder, much to his and everyone else's surprise.

"That's enough." said Luffy. He had stepped in and was now holding Morgan's Axe in place with his thumb and forefinger, anger in his tone at Morgan's attempt to kill the man.

"What the?! Who are you?!" Morgan bellowed as he glared at Luffy. He tried pulling his axe away, but he couldn't budge it. Everyone stared before Helmeppo started screaming.

"It's him daddy! That's the guy who struck me!" Helmeppo said as he pointed at Luffy. Morgan glared at Luffy before bringing his fist towards him.

"BASTARD!" he screamed. Luffy smiled under his hat before he disappeared just before Morgan's fist hit him. Everyone went wide eyed as they looked around for him.

"Over here." Luffy said, gaining their attention. He was standing between the marines and the statue they were pulling. He then looked at the ropes before quickly bringing his left leg up in one swift motion. Nothing happened as he lowered his leg and muttered "Tempest kick."

No sooner did he say that, the ropes were all sliced, letting the giant statue fall back and break in half, leaving the top half to fall and shatter on impact. Everyone just gapped at Luffy, who was smiling at it all. "Shishishishi."

"SEIZE THAT LITTLE FUCKER!" Morgan belowed to his subordinates.

"Hey you." Luffy said as he appeared before Helmeppo, who just looked at him for a second before screaming and trying to run away. Luffy grabbed him by the collar as he smiled again. "You got something I need." he said before running off through the doorway into the base.

"He's got Helmeppo!" a marine yelled.

"Bring me that straw hatted fool!" Morgan ordered. "And one of you. Find and kill that little brat from earlier!"

"Captain. Someone's trying to free the prisoner from the yard!" shouted one of the marines who was pointing down at Coby and Zoro.

"I'm surrounded by treason!" Morgan growled as a vein stood out on his forehead.

()()()()

"Now where's Zoro's sword?" Luffy asked as he ran through the base, dragging Helmeppo along with him. Even though he'd done this before, he didn't care to remember what room was what in the base.

"I'll tell you where they are! Just stop dragging me across the carpet!" he shrieked. Luffy stopped as he looked at Helmeppo, who pointed down the direction they came from. "My room down there on the left. You just past it."

"Why didn't you say so earlier? Now we gotta go back."

"Drop Helmeppo and put your hands up!" shouted a marine as he and his comrades pointed their guns at Luffy.

"Wait a moment." Luffy said before putting Helmeppo between him and the marines and smiled. "Now you can shoot."

"NO NO NO NO! HOLD YOU FIRE!" Helmeppo screamed as Luffy used him to push past the marines.

()()()()

Coby was down in the yard, trying to untie Zoro from the post.

"You got a death wish kid? If they catch you, they'll kill you on sight." Zoro said.

"I can't sit back and watch these marines anymore. They're bringing shame to what a true marine is."

"Look kid. I've got 10 more days until-"

"More like ten minutes. They're gonna execute you anyway."

"What?" Zoro asked as his eyes widened.

"Helmeppo was never gonna honor your deal. Now you're only awaiting death if you stay here." Coby said. "Luffy's inside getting chased by the marines. I'm not gonna ask you to be a pirate, only to help him just this once. You have a lot of strength and can definitely help him out. Luffy's your only chance to getting out of here alive, just like you're the only one who can help him get out as well."

"Hold it right there!" bellowed Morgan as the marines aimed their guns at them. Zoro and Coby both looked at him in surprise.

()()()()

"Yep. This is your room alright." Luffy said as he looked around the girly room that was Helmeppo's. He immediately eyed Zoro's swords and smiled as he walked over to them. "Found them. Thanks for your help." he said before he dropped an unconcious Helmeppo on the floor. He then tied the swords onto his back, then walked to the window, spotting Morgan and the marines, all ready to kill Zoro and Coby. "Better get down there." he said before stretching his arms out and flying out the window.

"FIRE!" Morgan shouted before the marines fired away. Zoro and Coby looked away, expecting death. None of them expected Luffy to appear before them and step in front of the path of the bullets.

"WHAT?!"

"LUFFY NO!"

"STRAW HAT!"

Luffy just smiled as the bullets stretched back in body before he bounced them all back, laughing that it was useless as the marines ducked to avoid being hit. Zoro just stared at him as he asked what he was. Luffy turned around with a smile and a thumbs up. "My name's Luffy. And I'm the man who will be King of the Pirates."

"Do you have any idea what that means?" Zoro asked.

"King of the Pirates means King of the Pirates." Luffy answered.

"It sounds crazy, but he's dead serious about it." Coby said as Luffy untied the swords off his back and held them in front of Zoro.

"Got your sword for ya. There were three, so I grabbed them all. Are they all yours?" he asked, feigning stupidity as he already knew the answer.

"Actually they are. I use three sword style." Zoro said, moving his arms around in his bindings.

"Alright. I'll let you go. But if you fight now, you'll be labeled a criminal in the eye of the marines. So it's either fight or die. Well?"

"Hmph. Looks like a I don't have a choice huh?" Zoro said with a smirk. "Fine. I'm in."

"YES! Look Coby! I got my first crewmate!" Luffy said as he danced around. He was one step closer to getting his crew together again.

"Stop dancing and untie me you moron!" Zoro shouted. Luffy stopped and tried to untie Zoro, while Morgan ordered his men to attack.

"If guns won't work, use your swords!" he bellowed. Soon, all the marines were charging at them, ready to cut them down. Luffy pretended to untie the knot, waiting until they were close enough.

"Man, these are tight." Luffy said.

"Quit screwing around already!" Zoro said.

"There, got one." Luffy said as he untied his left arm.

"Give me my sword now!" Zoro screamed. Luffy gave him a sword, which he used in the blink of an eye to cut the ropes, unsheath his other blades, and stop the marine's attacks in mid swing.

"Whoa!" Coby said, while Luffy just smiled.

"Move and you die." Zoro threatened through his clenched teeth, causing the other marines to cry.

"Scary."

"Alright. I've fought the marines. That officially makes me a wanted criminal, so I'll join you as a pirate. But I'm only going to say this once. Even though I sail under you, I only care about my ambition."

"Which is?" Luffy asked, knowing the answer.

"To be the greatest swordsman in the world. And if you make me give up my dream for any reason, I'll cut you where you stand. Got it?"

Luffy just smiled, remembering this speech before as he nodded. "Got it. And it suits me just fine. King of the Pirates should only have the best on his crew."

"Heh. You're a cocky one." Zoro said with a smile.

"What are you standing around for?!" Morgan bellowed. "Kill all of them now!"

"Zoro. Duck." Luffy said before he pulled his leg back. Zoro did so as Luffy called out "Gum Gum...WHIP!" as his leg stretched out and swatted the marines away. Zoro just stared at him as he asked what he was. "I ate the Gum Gum fruit." Luffy said, leaving Zoro to stare at him. Morgan narrowed his eyes as he thought of the rumors of the Devil fruit. How eating one granted you a power of the Sea Devil, but made the ocean reject you and took away your ability to swim.

"Gum Gum fruit! This is insane!" one of the marines said, snapping Morgan out of his thoughts. He listened as the marines starting saying they were too strong to beat and that didn't stand a chance against the two of them.

"THIS IS AN ORDER! THOSE WHO JUST SPOUTED WEAKNESS, TAKE YOUR GUNS AND SHOOT YOURSELVES!" he shouted. All the marines stared at him as he went on. "I HAVE NO USE FOR COWARDLY WEAKLINGS LIKE YOU LOT!"

"The only weakling I see is you." Luffy said as he glared at Morgan. He smirked as Morgan glared right back as a few veins started sticking out on his face and neck. He seemed to snap as he threw his coat off.

"YOU LITTLE SHIT! I AM THE GREAT CAPTAIN 'AXE HAND' MORGAN!"

"Hi. I'm Luffy." he said as Zoro sheathed his swords, watching to see what his new Captain could do. "Zoro. This is my first order. No matter what happens, don't interfere. Got it?" Zoro nodded, wondering what Luffy would do as Luffy walked towards Morgan.

"Hey Morbib."

"MORGAN!"

"Right. How about a bet?" Luffy said. This got everyone's attention as Luffy smiled. "You win this fight, we die."

"And if you were to somehow win?" Morgan asked, wondering what the scrawny kid would want.

"We get a boat and sail away with no problems. And since I'm a fair man, I won't move" he said as he placed his straw hat to his chest before closing his eyes and bowing his head "and let you have first crack."

Everyone was now gapping at Luffy, thinking he really was insane as Morgan smiled.

"Peh. Fine you little brat. NOW DIE!" Morgan screamed as he raised his axe. He brought it down towards Luffy with all his strength, ready to kill him then and there. Everything seemed to slow down as Morgan's Axe, which was the bane of everyone on the island, connected with Luffy's head before it shattered, stunning everyone.

"WHAAAAT?!" Morgan screamed in horror at the sight of his now destroyed axe. The marines jaws hit the ground while Coby had fainted. Zoro stood there, wide eyed at the sight. He then noticed that the top of Luffy's head that the axe struck had changed into a grayish black color before returning to normal. Luffy smiled as he placed his hat back on his head and made a fist.

"My turn." he said before delivering a punch to Morgan's gut, making him cough up blood as he was sent crashing into the marine base, smashing into his son who was looking for them with a gun. Everyone just stared at the hole, while Luffy laughed. "I win. One boat please." he said, holding up a finger. The marines all looked at each other before cheering about Morgan's defeat. Luffy just smiled as Zoro tapped Coby with his foot to wake him up.

()()()()

Back in the pub, Luffy and Zoro were eating food like there was no tomorrow, while Coby had already finished.

"Ahhhh. That hit the spot." Zolo said. "Three weeks with no food sucked."

"If it was me, I'd be dead in three days." Luffy managed to say with a full mouth of food.

"How can you eat more than me anyway?" Zoro asked.

"Please, eat all you want." Rika's mother said with a smile, happy that the town was free from Morgan's reign.

"I'm sorry. You're feeding me, even though I wasn't any help." Coby said.

"It's alright." she said.

"So Luffy. Who else is on our crew?" Zolo asked.

"Us."

"Wait. Just...you and me?" he asked, pointing at them both.

"Yep."

"Our ship?"

"Don't know yet." he answered.

"Well, this is a great start." Zoro said sarcastically. Before they could discuss more, the marines arrived.

"You two are pirates?" the new leader asked.

"Yep."

"I see. As marines, we cannot harbor pirates, so we must ask that you leave this island immediately." he said, causing the villagers around them to go into an angry uproar.

"You guys were scared too."

"They're our saviors, as well as yours you jerk."

"However, we will not report you to HQ. Also, for defeating Morgan, as per your bet with him, a vessel has been prepared for you."

"Alright." Luffy said before standing up. "Let's go Zoro." he said he walked towards the door, with Zoro right behind him.

"And what about you?" the marine asked Coby. "Aren't you their friend?" he asked. Coby just stared at them as he turned back to Luffy. "Is this guy your friend?" Luffy looked back at him before smirking.

"Actually, he's a cabin boy." Luffy said. Coby went wide eyed as Luffy began to speak about Alvida, wishing for him to shut up or they won't let him in.

"And Coby here, well he-" Luffy said before Coby punched Luffy.

"SHUT UP!" he yelled. Zoro smiled as Luffy looked at Coby with a grin.

"You bastard!" he shouted before he started repeatedly punching Coby.

"Enough!" shouted the marine as Zoro held Luffy back. "It's clear that you guys are not friends! Leave this island at once!" he shouted. Both of them left while Coby lay on the floor, realizing that Luffy helped him yet again. He stood up, thinking that he needed Luffy's help in the end and asked himself if he was helpless.

"Sir. I wish to join the marines." Coby said as he stood up straight and looked the marine in the eye.

"Sir, I advise against this. Pirates are known to plant spies in the marines."

"I wish to join the marines to carry out real justice, and to stop all criminals!" Coby said with a steeled determination. The leader looked at Coby before tilting his hat down and stood next to him.

"I've seen many a marine stronger than you die at the hands of pirates. This life will not be easy. You're in kid."

Coby smiled, realizing that his dream had finally come true.

()()()()

"That was some bad acting." Zoro said as they loaded their stuff onto a small sail boat.

"Don't worry. He'll be fine." Luffy said. He was untying the boat, waiting for Coby to appear.

"Well, they hate us now. Best way to leave." Zoro said.

Luffy smiled as they sailed away when he sensed him, Rika, and her mother.

"LUFFY!" Coby shouted before throwing him a salute. "Thank you for everything. I will never forget this kindness!" Luffy and Zoro smiled before the rest of the marines showed up and saluted them as well. Coby looked back at the leader, who looked back.

"You have some good friends there kid." he said. "Men, what we've done is a complete violation against all we stand for. Therefore, no food for three days." he ordered.

"YES SIR!"

"SEE YA!" Luffy shouted as he waved them all goodbye. He then turned back to the sea, ready to get on with his adventure.


	6. Reunion and Clowns

It had been two days since Luffy and Zoro left Shells town. They were sailing onto the next island, both starving.

"I'm so hungry." whined Luffy.

"That's because you ate our food dumbass." grumbled Zoro. Both had talked about a few things. Zoro had asked if Coby could cut it as a marine. Luffy just smiled and laughed, saying he would be fine. Luffy knew all too well that Coby had what it take to be a marine. They both just lay there with their stomachs grumbling. While Zoro was thinking of food, Luffy was keeping his eyes on the sky. He then felt a presence in the sky and smiled. He and Zoro both looked and saw a giant bird flying above them.

"A bird." Zoro said.

"No, lunch." Luffy said as he stretched his arms to grab the top of the mast. "Gum Gum ROCKET!" Luffy yelled as he flew up at the bird. He flew up and smiled as the bird held his head in his beak. "Zoro. I think I'm stuck." he shouted.

"YOU DUMBASS! HOW'D YOU MANAGE TO DO THAT?!" he yelled as he started rowing the boat after them. He yelled out insults at Luffy while he tried to keep up, while Luffy just laughed as he was carried off.

"HELP US!"

Zoro looked to see three guys floating in the ocean, screaming for help.

"Oh great. I AIN'T STOPPING, SO IF YOU WANT A LIFT YOU BETTER GRAB ON!"

"WHAT?!" they all screamed. They all grabbed on as Zoro passed and jumped inside.

"Oh you made it." Zoro said.

"YOU WERE GONNA LEAVE US TO DROWN!" they screamed. They then pulled out their weapons and demanded the boat, stating they were pirates. Zoro just looked at them with a dangerous look in his eyes. The three pirates, covered in bumps and bruises, then started rowing the boat for Zoro, stating that they didn't realize who he was.

"Thanks to you idiots, I lost my friend. Just keep rowing." Zoro said in a bored tone before asking why they were drifting at sea. The three then told him how they were coming back from raiding a ship before they spotted another boat with a girl in it. She had offered them the treasure from the chest in her boat in exchange for food and water. They boarded her boat to find it empty while the girl had taken their boat full of treasure, leaving them at the mercy of a storm that she predicted. "She knew a storm was coming huh?" Zoro asked in interest.

"Yeah, and now we're in big trouble." one of the pirates said. "If we return to Captain Buggy empty handed, we're dead."

"Buggy?" Zoro asked.

"You mean you've never heard of Captain Buggy, the clown pirate?" another asked. "He's a monster who's eat a Devil Fruit."

"Is that so?" Zoro asked.

()()()()

Luffy was laughing as he looked around from a birds beak view. The bird was still flying in the sky as it approached an island. Luffy grinned as he looked down, trying to spot Nami. He didn't get to look long before the bird was shot at with a cannonball. The ball exploded, making the bird drop Luffy, who was laughing as he fell. He looked down and saw Nami and three other guys carrying weapons who were chasing her.

"INCOMING! Luffy shouted before he crashed into the ground between them. They all stared at the dust cloud from where Luffy landed, thinking he was dead. The dust cleared to show a laughing Luffy standing up and dusting himself off. "That was fun. I wanna go again!"

'It's that pirate from before.' Nami thought as she stared at Luffy. She looked back at the other pirates before grinning. "Boss. I'm so glad you're here." she said in a happy tone as she ran up to him and held his hand. "Thanks so much for coming to rescue me. I'll leave them to you." she said before she ran off. Luffy just stared at her running away before he looked at his hand. He smiled as that warm feeling came to him.

"She's getting away!" one of the pirates yelled.

"Who cares? We've got her boss right here." said another as he approached Luffy. "We'll use him to barter for that map she stole." Luffy didn't even look at them, still smiling as he thought of Nami. This irked the pirate as he punched Luffy in the back of the head, stating that the girl stole something from them. That woke Luffy from his thoughts as his straw hat flew off his head. He spun around, punching the pirate square in the jaw before catching his hat and placing it on his head.

"Do NOT touch my hat!" Luffy said. The other pirates charged him, only to meet the same fist that knocked out their friend. Luffy smiled as he dusted off his clothes before looking up at Nami, who had appeared on a roof ledge to see how the fight went. She didn't expect Luffy to be okay while the three pirates were on the ground unconcious.

"Whoa! You beat those three barehanded?" she asked.

"Yeah. They were pretty weak." he said as he smiled. "Nice to see you again Nami."

'I had wished they had beaten you senseless.' she thought as she glared down at him. "Whatever pirate." she said. She was about to leave, but saw Luffy fall onto his back. "Huh?"

"I'm so hungry." Luffy whined as he held his stomach. Nami just glared at him in thought before she sighed.

"You did save my life." she said as she jumped down next to him. "Follow me. I'll get you some food." Luffy jumped to his feet in excitement. "Really? Thanks!" he said, smiling. He followed her through the streets to an abandoned house. As she started making him some food, he was looking at her up and down. A blush came across his face as he smiled. He pulled his hat down again to hide his face as she came back.

"Here." she said as she placed the food in front of him, which he immediately started eating as he got himself under control. Nami just stared at Luffy as she wondered how she was going to get Buggy's treasure.

"Those guys seemed to be after you for some reason." Luffy said as he looked at her. "What'd you do?"

"I took their map." she said as she pulled a map out from under her shirt. "With this, I'll be able to get 100,000,000 berris no problem."

"That's a lot of money." Luffy said with a whistle. He had once heard that it was to buy back her village from Arlong. He frowned as he remembered her on that dirt road, stabbing her tattoo of Arlong's mark after her village went off to fight him, knowing it was a lost cause, but unable to put up with him any longer. "Why that much?"

"None of you business." she said in a cold voice. "Now that I have this chart of the Grand Line, getting that money will be easy." she said.

"Grand Line?" Luffy asked in fake surprise. "You're a navigator?"

"Not to brag, but I'm the best navigator you'll ever find." she said with a small smile.

"Cool. You should join my crew."

"No!" she said in a harsh tone. "I despise pirates." Luffy knew where her anger came from, but he wouldn't give up.

"Why not? The pirate life is fun." he said with a smile.

"Pirates are nothing but heartless monsters who take everything one cares about. I only love money and tangerines." she said. Luffy's eyes we covered by his hat as he looked towards her.

"Pirates are heartless monsters huh?"

"That's right."

"Then why did a pirate that came to my hometown years ago risk his life and sacrifice his left arm so that I could live?" he asked her, wondering what she could say to that. He looked up at her to see her eyes widen a bit. This had taken her by surprise to hear a pirate risking so much for someone else.

"A pirate...did that?" she asked in a quiet voice.

"Yep." he answered as he pulled off his hat to look at it fondly. He then explained his promise to Shanks about how he would return the hat Shanks gave him after he became King of the Pirates.

"Hmph. Well look who's the lucky one." she said as she walked over and looked out the window. She just couldn't picture it. A pirate, someone who robs and murders anyone they cross, risking their life for some random person?

"Did something happen to you?" Luffy suddenly asked her, pulling her out of her thoughts. She tense up as she looked back at him, seeing nothing but a blank face looking back. Her hand slowly went to her shoulder, which was covered by her shirt to hide that tattoo of Arlong's mark. She didn't know what it was about Luffy, but at that moment, her tension faded a little as she looked down.

"I'd rather not talk about it." she said in a bit of a sad voice. She sighed as she stared out the window. Thoughts of Bellemere came to her as she closed her eyes. She remembered how they were poor, how they would fight, how she started stealing because they had no money. She started to tear up as she also remembered their fight, how she ran off in anger, how her mother sacrificed herself so that she and Nojiko could live. She grasped her shoulder when memories of when Arlong forced her onto his to draw him maps, along with his deal to release her village in exchange for 100,000,000 berris. She missed her mother so much.

"Nami." Luffy said in a quiet voice. She turned to see that he was standing next to her. His hat shadowed his face, but she could still hear the sad tone in his voice as he continued. "Believe it or not, I also know what it's like to lose someone you care for."

"What?" she asked as Luffy undid a few buttons on his vest. He opened his vest up, and her eyes widened. She saw the jagged X shaped scar on his chest.

"A very powerful person I met a long time ago killed someone I know." he said. "He tried to kill me too, but I got away thanks to some help, but not before he left me with this." he said as he pointed at his scar. He left out the parts about who was dead and who was the killer, but he wanted to let her know that he shared her pain of loss. He knew he would keep Ace alive this time, but the memory of it happening would never leave him.

Nami stared at his scar, unable to believe that Luffy went through something so similar to her own miserable past. She looked at her shoulder as Luffy buttoned up his vest and sat next to her. She then looked out the window again as she heard some pirates talking about finding her and getting the map back.

"Hey, you said you wanted to get 100,000,000 berris, right?"

"Yeah...why?" she said, wondering what he was thinking.

"How about this? If I help you get you the money, you help me get to the Grand Line. Deal?" he said, holding out his hand. Nami looked at him like he was crazy, but remembered his scar and sighed.

"I won't be a pirate." she said before smacking his hand with hers. "But I'll help you out for awhile." she said with a small smile. Luffy just smiled as she got an idea. "And I know the perfect plan to steal Buggy's treasure." she said as she pulled some rope out of nowhere. "Just need you to hold still."

()()()()

"What do you mean you couldn't catch the thief?!" Buggy screamed at the three pirates Luffy beat earlier.

"Her boss came out of nowhere and-"

"I DON'T CARE! YOU DIE FOR THIS!" Buggy screamed, terrifying the three pirates.

"Captain, the thief is here with the map." said a short clown pirate.

"Alright, show her here. Wait, WHAT?!" Buggy said, confused as Nami walked towards him with a tied up Luffy. When they got close enough, Nami kicked Luffy who fell down at Buggy's feet.

"I've captured the real thief Captain Buggy. Here's your map." Nami said as she handed back the chart.

"I appreciate the return of my map, but why the sudden change of heart?" Buggy asked in confusion.

"My boss is nothing but an idiot, so I thought I'd work for you." she said in a happy tone.

"Hey, let go! That's not yours you moron!" yelled one of the pirates. Everyone turned to see that Luffy was now trying to wrestle a piece of meat away from one of the Buggy pirates with his teeth. Most of the crew, including Nami, sweatdropped at the sight. Buggy, however, was laughing his head off.

"No wonder you're fed up with him. He IS an idiot." he laughed before turning to Nami. "I like your style girly. You're in my crew. MEN! TIME FOR A PARTY!"

Everyone cheered and began to celebrate the new addition to the crew, while Luffy was thrown into an iron cage.

"What's your name woman?" Buggy asked.

"It's Nami."

"Men! A toast to our new member Nami!" Buggy said with a raised mug. Everyone raised a glass with their captain and Nami before returning to their party. Nami downed her drink as she looked at the pirates.

'Good. Everything's going as planned.' she thought as she wiped her mouth. 'After they've all passed out, I'll steal the chart, the treasure, and get Luffy out of here.'

While she was drinking, Luffy was trying to stretch his arm out unnoticed towards the buffet that was on a table, but missed again like last time. "Shit. I'm hungry." he grumbled.

"Here." said Nami as she set some food next to Luffy when the others weren't looking.

"Thanks." Luffy said as he started eating. As he chewed, he whispered "Looks like your plan is working Nami."

"Shh." she said. "You're gonna blow my cover."

"Food for the enemy Nami?" came the voice of Buggy. Nami turned to see Buggy standing over her with his arms crossed.

"Just a...parting gift to say goodbye." she quickly lied, hoping Buggy wouldn't attack. Instead, he just smiled as he raised an eyebrow.

"A parting gift huh?" he asked. "Then I'll give him a parting gift as well." He then ordered his men to bring out his Buggy Ball. Immediately, a few pirates brought out a huge cannon while another brought out a big red ball with Buggy's Jolly Roger on it. They then pointed the loaded cannon at the town. "A demonstration of my power. FIRE!"

When the fuse disappeared, the cannon fire, sending the Buggy Ball through a row of houses, demolishing them all instantly. As the smoke cleared, all that was left was a row of rubble and debris. All the pirates were laughing at the sight.

"How was that? With these Buggy Bombs and the power of my Devil fruit, I'll rule the Grand Line!" Buggy shouted, causing his men to cheer. Nami just stared at the sight, feeling sick at the sight of it. Luffy just looked up at Buggy.

"But I'm the one who's gonna rule the Grand Line." he said. Everyone just stared as he went on. "Because I'm gonna be King of the Pirates!"

"Are you trying to piss him off?!" Nami shouted.

"No wonder you're sick of him Nami. Men, prepare the cannon again!" Buggy shouted. His men prepped the cannon with another Buggy Ball, then pointed it straight at Luffy. "Now for MY parting gift. Here Nami." he said as he gave her a box of matches. "To prove your loyalty, I'll give you the honor blasting your boss away."

Nami just looked at the matchbox in horror. "C-come on Captain. There's no need for this. Let's get to the party." she said in a nervous tone.

"Do it Nami." he said a in threatening manner, leaving no room for argument. All the pirates were cheering for her to light the cannon. Her hands were shaking as she stared at Luffy.

"Hurry it up Nami! Kill him now!" Buggy screamed, which was joined by the rest of his crew.

"You're shaking Nami." he said. "This is what happens when you face pirates with a weak resolve."

"What?" she asked, now looking at Luffy's face to see him smile. "To murder anyone like it's nothing?"

"No. It's to be willing to risk your own life." he said with a determined look on his face. Nami just stared at Luffy, surprised at his answer. Luffy then stared her straight in the eye and said "Do it Nami."

"W-what?" she asked, thinking she heard wrong.

"Light the cannon Nami." he said. Her eyes widen at his request, thinking he'd gone insane. She couldn't believe it, but he was asking her to kill him. He gave her a soft smile as he said "Trust me. It'll be okay." She looked ready to yell at him, but his calm demeanor seemed to calm her down. She slowly lit the match, staring at Luffy as if hoping he'd change his mind. Luffy nodded, telling her to do it. Nami trembled again as she brought the match closer to the fuse.

'I don't know why I'm doing this!' she mentally screamed as the fuse was lit. 'I trust you on this Luffy. I just hope you're right about this!' She then turned away, covering her ears as she shut her eyes.

"Hey! What are you all doing?!" came a voice from the edge of the roof. Everyone looked to see a green haired man with three swords appear.

"Oh. Hey Zor-"

BOOOM!

The cannon had gone off with a blinding light, blowing away everything in front of it.

"LUFFY!" Zoro yelled as he stared at the sight. He then noticed Nami near the cannon with the matchbox. He grabbed his sword as he got into an attack stance. "YOU BITCH!" he shouted.

Nami didn't hear him as she slowly looked back to where the cannon fired at. She had a horrified look on her face as the matchbox slipped from her hands. She just seemed to freeze in place.

"HAHAHAHA!" Buggy laughed along with his crew. "So his name was Luffy huh? Well, now we know what to write on his tombstone!" he said as he laughed again.

'What...have I done?' Nami thought as she felt like breaking down. She stared at the smoke that lingered from the blast. She started to tremble again at the thought of killing someone.

"COUGH COUGH! Man that cannonball has kick!" came a voice from the smoke. Everyone seemed to stop laughing as they heard the voice. Nami's eyes widen as big as Zoro's as they all stared as the smoke started to clear. Everyone's jaw dropped when they saw Luffy standing there, perfectly okay. "Shishishishi." Everything around them seemed to froze as the all stared at him. He looked around at all there faces. "What?"

"HOW ON EARTH ARE YOU STILL ALIVE?!" they all screamed with enough force to knock Luffy onto his butt.

"THAT BUGGY BALL HIT YOU POINT BLANK, YET YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE A SCRATCH?!" Buggy screamed with bloodshot eyes. Luffy stared at him before putting his hand to his chin.

"Hmmm. Because...the Buggy ball is weak?" he asked, laughing on the inside at everyone's reaction.

"Did I...miss something?" Zoro asked after finding his voice.

"Not really." Luffy answered. "Anyway, we gotta go Zoro." he said before he grabbed Nami by the arm and ran off. "Bye Big Nose!" Luffy yelled before kicking Buggy's cannon right at him. Buggy screamed as it collided with him, giving the three the time they needed to get away.

()()()()

After some running, all three of them rested. Luffy was laughing, while Zoro just lay on the ground, feeling tired from the rowing earlier and the running around trying to find Luffy and escaping. Nami was standing still, unusually quiet with bangs shadowing her eyes.

"Looks like we got away guys." Luffy said as he looked at his friends. His smile faded when he noticed Nami. "Nami? You okay?" he asked. Nami just stood there trembling from head to toe. Luffy got closer, wondering what was wrong. He was a foot away before Nami looked up at him with fury in her eyes before she punched him, smashing head throught the stone street.

"YOU ASSHOLE! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU PUT ME THROUGH?!" she screamed before she grabbed him by his vest and started to shake him violently. "I SERIOUSLY THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD! WHAT KIND OF PERSON ASKS ANOTHER TO SHOOT THEM WITH A CANNON?!" she screamed. She was now panting, trying to catch her breath as Luffy hung limply from her hands before looking up at her and smiled.

"Why are you angry? It blew up the cage and burned the ropes I was tied up in, didn't it?" Luffy said, as if everything that happened wasn't something to worry about. She just stared at him, looking ready to pound him again. He smiled as he said "I told you to trust me." Nami seemed to calm down before letting him go to fall onto his back.

"I cannot believe you lived through that." she said before she sighed. A small smile came back to her face afterwards. "But I am glad you're alive Luffy."

"So Luffy, who exactly is this?" Zoro asked as he pointed at Nami.

"Oh. Zoro, this is Nami, our navigator for hire. Nami, this is Zoro, my first mate." Luffy said to them both.

"Zoro? Wait, as in Pirate Hunter Zoro?" Nami asked as she looked at Zoro, now noticing his three swords. "Why is the Pirate Hunter on a pirate crew?"

"Gave up pirate hunting. So you're our new navigator huh?"

"Just for awhile. So, what's your plan now Luffy? We still need to get that chart and Buggy's treasure." Nami asked Luffy.

"Plan B. We beat the shit out of them and take it all by force." he said smiling, earning him another fist to his face.

"What kind of a plan is that?!" she screamed.

"Sounds good to me." Zoro said with a grin.

"You're both nuts!" she screamed, causing Luffy to laugh again before he noticed a small dog close by.

"Hey, a doggy!" he said walking over to it, smiling as he remembered it. He sat down in front of it while Zoro and Nami walked over to him as well.

"What's a dog doing out here?" Nami asked.

"Don't know, don't care." Zoro said in a bored tone as Luffy starting poking it, making it bite him in the face.

"Get off me!" Luffy shouted as he tried pulling the dog off his face.

"Leave Chou Chou alone!" screamed an old man who was wearing makeshift body armor. The all looked at him as he walked over into the building the dog was in front of him for a moment before coming back out with a bowl of food for Chou Chou. After a brief introduction, they learned that he was the mayor of this town. When they asked where everyone was, he explained that they left in fear of Buggy and his pirates. Only Chou Chou remained despite the danger to guard the store.

"Why stay for a store? Who owns this place?" Zoro asked.

"A friend of mine," the mayor said as he smoked on his pipe before adding "as well as Chou Chou's owner." He then went on to explain how his friend left for the hospital because of an illness, but died three months ago. When they asked if he was still waiting for his master to return, the mayor doubted it, saying that Chou Chou was smart enough to know his master was gone. He also told them the reason he stays to guard the store was because it was all he had left of his master. "To Chou Chou, this store is his treasure."

Zoro couldn't help but admire the dog's courage. Nami gave a sad smile at the thought of losing someone you cared for. Luffy had heard this before, but still liked how Chou Chou stayed to fight for his treasure. Everyone stopped talking when they heard the roar of a lion in the distance.

"Oh no!" cried Mayor Boodle. "It's Mohji, the Beast Tamer! We gotta run!" he cried as he grabbed Nami's arm and ran away, dragging her along. Luffy and Zoro both stayed to fight off Mohji.

"Before whoever that is gets here, I gotta ask." Zoro said without looking at Luffy. "How did you survive that cannonball? And don't say it's because it was weak. I saw what you did before it hit you." Luffy looked at him out of the corner of his eye. "Right before that cannon fired, I saw parts of your body turn black. It was the same color your hair turned when Morgan attacked you with his axe before it shattered. What was that?"

"I'll explain later." Luffy said as he looked forward to see a big lion with green fur and a purple mane coming their way. On top of him was Mohji the Beast Tamer. He wasn't going to let him burn down Chou Chou's treasure this time. They both watched as Richie the lion got closer towards them. He stopped a couple yards away while Mohji stared down at them both.

"Well now, look who we have here." he said in a smug tone. "The straw hat who insulted my captain and his swordsman friend. How nice to find you both."

"What's with the wierd hat?" Zoro asked in a bored tone.

"That's rude!" he yelled as he pointed to his head, which looked like a teedy bear with ears at the top. "This is natural!"

"That's just bizarre." Luffy said. Mohji went back into his cool demeanor as he got off Richie, explaining who he was and that he could tame any animal out there. He walked up and told Chou Chou to shake, which ended in the dog biting his arm, making him try to wave him off as he screamed in pain. He then acted like nothing happened as he stared at them again. "Anyway, tell me where that orange haired friend of yours is and I'll make your deaths quick."

"No." they both said, neither of them sounding scared.

"Fine! Kill them Richie!" Mohji ordered as he jumped off of him. They watched as Richie lunged at them, only to be stopped by Zoro's sheathed blade. Richie stumbled back before shaking his head and growling at them both.

"I got this Luffy." Zoro said as he walked towards the lion, unsheathing his blade. Mohji looked at the swordsman before he saw he had three blades.

"Wait a minute. Are you Pirate Hunter Zoro?" Mohji asked.

"Was. Now I'm a pirate." he said as he tied his bandana around his head.

"Wait. You both are pirates?" he asked before laughing. "Just you two? That's rich!"

"Shut up and fight." Zoro said before stick Wado into his mouth and his other blades into his hands, getting ready to fight. Luffy just stood beside Chou Chou to watch. Zoro crouched down into his usual stance. "Oni..." he said before rushing Richie. "GIRI!" And just like that, the lion fell down, defeated with slash marks on his belly. Mohji quickly stopped laughing and started screaming.

"RICHIE!" he screamed before he looked at them both in anger. "You'll pay for this!" he said as he brought out a whip and lashed it towards Zoro. Zoro began to dodge the whip left and right before throwing his arm out for the whip to wrap around. "Gotcha." Mohji said with a smirk, only for it to be wiped off as Zoro smiled evilly at him.

"Is that right?" he said as he grabbed the whip and pulled hard, pulling Mojhi toward him. Mojhi flew at him screaming before he was knocked into a random house by one of Zoro's punches. "Is that all?" he asked in a bored tone. Luffy just smiled as he watched Zoro handle them both.

"Nice job Zoro." he said, knowing that the little dog's treasure was safe now. "Now it's time to deal with the rest of them. But first, we gotta go get Nami." He then started walking off towards where they went, but stopped and ordered Zoro to bring along Mohji and Riche to make sure they didn't attack the dog. Zoro shrugged as he went back and dragged them along on the ground.

* * *

Fight in the next chapter.


	7. Bye Bye Buggy

"YOU'RE ALIVE?!" screamed Mayor Boodle as he stared at the scene before him. Both Zoro and Luffy were unharmed, while Mohji and Richie were both on the ground, unconcious. Nami stared as well. If she hadn't of seen Luffy survive that Buggy ball, she'd thought they'd be dead as well.

"If I died at the hands of these weaklings, my reputation would never recover." Zoro said as he looked down at them both.

"That's good and all," Nami said before screaming "BUT WHY DID YOU BRING THEM HERE?!"

"If they were left alone, they might've attacked that pet store of Chou Chou's." Luffy said. All three of them looked at him as he went on. "You said so yourself that the pet store was all he had left of his master. Right old man?"

"That's right." Boodle replied as he seemed to have calmed down a bit. "It's his treasure."

"And that's why I won't let anyone destroy it."

"What makes you think they were gonna bother the pet store?" Nami asked.

"That lion was eyeing the store while his master was flapping his gums." Zoro said in a bored tone. "I'm betting he was hungry."

Nami just stared at them both again. All her life, she thought pirates were nothing but scum, yet here were two pirates who fought to save the lives and treasures of people they didn't know. She couldn't wrap her head around the idea, nor could she try as the Mayor had started talking.

"I'm pathetic. You young kids are fighting for this town, while I just sit on my ass and do nothing!" he said before he began to explain the origins of the town to them. He told them about how they lost their last town to pirates. How they turned this empty field into the small town that they were standing in, and how it, and all the citizens, were his treasure. "And now, all that we've worked for is getting destroyed once again. I won't stand for it!" He then raised his spear into the air. "I am the Mayor of this town! I won't run while my treasure is being destroyed!" he said. Luffy, Zoro, and Nami smiled at the old man before he declared he would fight. Nami tried to stop him, knowing it was reckless. She let go when she saw him crying and he told her he knew it was reckless. He got a good thirty feet away before he up and collapsed onto the ground.

"W-what happened?" Nami asked before she felt a chill. She looked around and saw Luffy glare at the Mayor. "Did you do that?"

"How? Why?"

"He's a good man. He'll die if he fights Buggy, so I'll fight for him." Luffy said with a smile. Nami just looked at him before she sighed.

"Fine, but don't forget. I get Buggy's treasure." she said. "But how did you knock him out from here?"

"I'll tell you later. Come on Zoro." Luffy said as he cracked his knuckles.

"Right." he said with a smirk as he tied his bandanna onto his head. "I've been dying for a fight."

()()()()

"Those bastards!" Buggy said in a low threatening tone. He had long since recovered being slammed by his cannon, but he was still seething with rage. His crew were standing around petrified, afraid he would kill them if they so much as made a sound. They watched as Buggy could barely control himself. "They'll all die by my hands. I don't know who that guy with the green hair was, but those other two will pay. How dare Nami run off with them after joining my crew! 'Fight with my boss' my ass! She didn't laugh after she lit the cannon." His eyes shot open as he screamed at the top of his lungs. "AND WHO WAS THAT STRAW HAT BASTARD CALLING BIG NOSE?!"

"Calm down Captain." one of his crew pleaded. "First mate Mohji went to kill them, so they'll be dead in no time anyway."

"HEY BIG NOSE!"

Everyone froze in terror as sweat poured down their faces, while Buggy looked ready to kill as he looked in the direction that shout came from. He looked to see Luffy smiling up at him, with Nami yelling at him that it was suicide to call him that.

"WHO HAS A BIG NOSE YOU BASTARD?!" he screamed with bloodshot eyes. He then noticed Mohji and Richie, both unconcious and beaten, being dragged by a green haired man. "What?! Mohji lost to this trash?!"

"C-captain. That man has three swords!" one of the pirates said in fear. "T-that's the pirate hunter. Roronoa Zoro!" he screamed, causing the rest of the crew to panic.

"Roronoa Zoro huh?" Buggy said as he glared at the three of them. Zoro looked up at them all with a bored expression.

"I think these belong to you." he said before throwing them both up at Buggy and his men, where they landed with a thud right behind them. Buggy looked back at the three of them.

"You dare to humiliate us like this? MEN, FIRE THE BUGGY BALL!" he screamed. His men obeyed as they shot the cannonball at the three. Zoro and Nami ran, while Luffy stayed put with a smile as it got closer.

"Gum Gum BALLOON!" Luffy said as he deeply inhaled, bloating out as he stopped the cannonball. Everyone besides Zoro stared in shock as Luffy bounced the ball back at Buggy, blasting everyone there as Luffy deflated to normal. "Bullseye."

"WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT?!" Nami screamed.

"My Gum Gum Balloon." Luffy answered smiling. He was having fun watching them all freak out at his abilities a second time.

"OKAY, BUT HOW DID YOU DO IT?!" she screamed again as Zoro yelled at Luffy to warn them next time.

"A Devil fruit huh?" came a voice from the rubble. They all looked up to see that Buggy and another man were holding up two random pirates and Richie to protect themselves from the blast before dropping them. Luffy just looked at Buggy in disgust for using his men as shields while Nami looked back at Luffy.

"Did he say Devil fruit?" she asked. Luffy looked at her smiling before he said yes and stretched his cheeks out, surprising her.

"Captain, allow me to kill these worms." said the man who was next to Buggy.

"Very well then Cabaji." Buggy said as Cabaji pulled a sword from his mouth and hopped onto a unicycle. He then sped off towards Luffy to skewer him with his sword, only for Zoro to appear in front of him and block it with his blade.

"If you're a swordsman, your fight is with me." he said as he glared at Cabaji.

"Roronoa Zoro." Cabaji said with a smug grin. "Defeating you will boost our reputation." He then pulled down his scarf before breathing fire into his face, causing Zoro to back off. And then their clash started. Cabaji fought with circus tricks and spinning tops, while Zoro just deflected it all, looking bored as the fight went on.

"Are you gonna fight, or just do tricks all day?" Zoro asked as he got fed up with Cabaji's attacks. While they were fighting, Nami had snuck off to steal Buggy's treasure.

"Don't worry. I'll finish you off with my greatest attack." he said. He then sped off towards a building, riding up the side, and launching himself high into the air. While he was aiming for Zoro, Buggy then sent his hand flying off towards Zoro, hoping to keep him in place for Cabaji. He screamed in agony though, for Luffy had slammed his foot down onto it, breaking his fingers as he smirked at Buggy.

"Hands off Zoro's fight Big Nose." Luffy said as Buggy's crushed hand went back to it's enraged owner.

"WHO HAS A BIG NOSE?!" he screamed as Zoro stepped out of the way, dogding Cabaji's attack easily before he broke his unicycle out from under him.

"Enough games!" Zoro said as he got ready to attack.

"Fine! I'll finish you off with my swordsmanship!" Cabaji yelled as he ran towards Zoro.

"Oni...GIRI!" Zoro called, slashing Cabaji and ending the fight.

"The Buggy pirates...lost to...this trash?" Cabaji managed to say before he fell to the ground and passed out.

"We're not trash. We're pirates!" Zoro said as he took off his bandana and retied it to his arm.

"Enough!" Buggy screamed as he pulled out some daggers with his good hand. "I don't care what you are! You're all going to die by my hands!"

"This is my fight Zoro." Luffy said, making sure Zoro knew not to interfere. Zoro nodded as he sat down on the side of the road to watch as Buggy pointed his hand and Luffy.

"Chop Chop Cannon!" he screamed as his hand flew out towards Luffy, ready to slice him with the daggers.

"What the?!" Zoro said as his eyes widened, clearly not seeing his hand do that before. Just before it struck, Luffy moved out of the way before the hand came back to Buggy.

"The Chop Chop fruit." Buggy said. "It's the Devil fruit I ate, and now I can never be killed by a sword." he said before laughing. His top half then charged at Luffy, ready to cut him up. Luffy mearly smirked as he disappeared. Both Zoro and Buggy just stared before looking around for Luffy.

"Up here." Luffy called from a rooftop behind Buggy. Zoro looked up at him, wondering how he moved that fast. Buggy looked too before getting pissed.

"Hold still Straw hat!" he bellowed as he flew towards him again, only to have Luffy disappear again and appear back where Buggy was. Buggy looked around again while Luffy laughed, gaining his attention. Buggy looked ready to shout again, but noticed his straw hat looked familiar. "That hat of yours reminds me that blasted Red Hair."

"You mean Shanks?" Luffy asked, knowing that Buggy was going to badmouth Shanks again. "This is his hat. He gave it to me. I promised to return it to him one day."

"No wonder seeing that hat pisses me off!" Buggy shouted before going into a rant, explaining how he and Shanks used to be crewmates, Buggy getting his powers and losing the treasure map and his ability to swim because of Shanks before Shanks dove in to save him.

"Doesn't that mean Shanks saved your ass?" Zoro said as he listened in."

"NOT MY POINT!" Buggy screamed. "The point is, because of Shanks, I'll never get the treasure in the sea, so I'll get all the treasure on the land!" Buggy then looked ready to attack again, but noticed someone out of the corner of his eye. His eyes widen in rage when he saw Nami with his treasure over her shoulder. "You dare steal from me Nami?!" he screamed as he charged at her.

"Crap! He saw me!" she yelled as she started running away. While she did, Buggy was quickly catching up to her, unaware that Luffy was slowly walking towards Buggy's lower half. Buggy was a foot away from Nami before he stopped in mid air, his face twisted in pain. Nami slowly opened her eyes to see Buggy had stopped, then looked behind him to see that Luffy had kicked Buggy in the nuts before Buggy fell in pain. Luffy smirked as he turned to Buggy.

"Your fight is with me Buggy." he said with a smile. He made sure not to use all his strength in that kick. They may be enemies, but no man deserved to lose their balls.

"Ouch." Zoro winced from the sidelines, not feeling sorry for Buggy. Buggy floated into the air again, having lost his patience before splitting his body into different pieces.

"Time to finish you all off! CHOP CHOP...FESTIVAL!" he screamed as he chased after Nami again to get his treasure back. Luffy looked around on the ground, smiling as he saw Buggy's feet. He picked them both up before squeezing both in a death grip, causing Buggy to scream in pain and turn around. "PUT MY FEET DO-" was all he said before Luffy flung his feet at him, getting one stuck in his mouth before the other foot smashed against his face, sending it flying over into the treasure bag Nami had, spilling the contents everywhere. All of Buggy's pieces went limp as Buggy was knocked out as Luffy started laughing. Nami saw all his pieces around and got an idea.

"Looks like this fight's almost over." Zoro said with a smirk when he saw what Nami was doing. Luffy laughed again as Buggy woke up and pried his foot out of his mouth.

"BLEH! I think I stepped in something." he said before he glared at Luffy. "You bastard! Chop Chop Reassemble." Buggy said, calling his body parts back, only to end up with only his head, hands, and feet. "AHHHHH! WHAT HAPPENED TO ME?!"

"Hey Buggy." Nami called. Everyone looked to see her with her foot keeping Buggy's tied up parts in place. "Missing something?"

"MY PARTS! GIVE THEM BACK YOU WITCH!"

"Alright. Say goodbye Buggy!" Luffy yelled as he stretched his arms back before running towards Buggy. Buggy screamed in terror as Luffy's arm came forward. "GUM GUUUUM BAZOOKA!" And like the first time, Buggy was sent flying off into the distance.

"Finally. That guy was giving me a headache with all that talking." Zoro said as he walked over to Luffy. Luffy stared off at where Buggy flew while Nami gathered the treasure in two smaller bags before joining them both before pulling out the Grand Line chart.

"Alright. I've got Buggy's treasure and the chart, so we're ready to leave whenever you two." she said as she hugged her treasure close to her. They were about to leave, but were stopped when they heard footsteps behind them. They all turned to see the townspeople had come back, bearing weapons to fight off Buggy and his crew. A few of them had an unconcious Boodle in their arms, holding him up. All of them looked around at the damage before they spotted Luffy's group

"Hey, who are you three?" one of them shouted. "Were you the ones who knocked out Mayor Boodle?" At that question, all the villagers glared at the trio. Nami started to say something, but Luffy answered for her.

"Yeah, I knocked him out." he said without hesitation, causing Nami to smack him in the back of his head. All the villagers got angry as one of them asked who they were again, to which Luffy answered. "We're pirates." That caused the villagers to go into a frenzy, leaving the trio no choice but to run. They ducked into an alleyway hoping to escape. They all spotted Chou Chou on the path in the alley and jumped over him before running for the harbor. Chou Chou then started barking at the villagers, keeping them busy while the trio escaped.

"Why'd you tell them we were pirates Luffy?!" Nami shouted, angry that Luffy would blurt that out. Luffy just smiled before telling her that they were good people, stating that they loved the mayor and this town and what they were willing to do to defend them. As they neared their boat, they spotted the three pirates Zoro 'rescued' earlier. They saw Nami, but decided to let bygones be bygones when they spotted Zoro and ran for their lives. The three then cast off from the village, ready for their next adventure. They didn't get too far before they heard someone shouting at them, and turned to see it was the mayor.

"WAIT! YOUNG ONES!" he shouted before smiling at them with tears in his eyes. "THANK YOU!" he shouted. Luffy smiled, but it was quickly wiped off his face when Nami screamed at him.

"YOU LEFT HALF OF BUGGY'S TREASURE BACK THERE! SEE?!" she shouted, pointing back at the pier at the treasure bag next to Boodle.

"How else are they gonna repair their village?" Luffy asked. Nami lost it and tried to drown Luffy, asking what right he had to leave her treasure behind. Though Luffy was screaming for mercy, he was laughing on the inside just as much as Zoro was laughing at them both. He had been reunited with two of his crew, and was on his way to meeting the rest of them soon.

* * *

That's another chapter down. To all who are asking why I'm typing so much into these chapters, two reasons.

One: So that you can see what everyone does, including his new crewmates.

Two: If I skip a lot of smaller details, I'll catch up too quickly to where One Piece is, then I'll have nothing to type until the arc is finished.


	8. Meeting Usopp Again

It had been some time since the trio left Orange Town. Luffy was eating apples, Zoro was resting, and Nami was reading maps and coming to a conclusion.

"We cannot sail for the Grand Line like this." she said. "This crew, our provisions, and this ship are way too small."

"You're right." Luffy said with an apple in his mouth. "We need to get meat."

"And some booze." Zoro said.

"We need more than that, you morons!" Nami screamed before she went back to the maps. "Anyway, we'll stop by a nearby island and try to get a better ship and supplies."

"What island?" Luffy asked as he ate more apples.

"Let's see." Nami said as she checked some maps. "It's called Gecko Island."

"Finally! Some meat!"

"And booze."

'And Usopp.' Luffy thought as well while cracking a big smile. He was gathering his friends up again, one by one, and couldn't wait to go on more adventures with them all.

"Will you two shut up about that?" Nami screamed again.

()()()()

It took awhile, but they landed at the northern side of the island. Luffy jumped onto the shore before Nami even got the boat onto the sand. Zoro stood up on the shore before stretching.

"Nice to be back on land." he said.

"Yeah. Now, to find a place with some meat." Luffy said with a smile. Nami just sighed, knowing he wasn't going to stop talking about food. Zoro agreed, stating they needed booze as well, but quickly went for his swords when he heard rustling in the bushes up on the hill.

"We've got company." he said with a dark tone. Nami and Luffy looked up at the bushes where Zoro was looking. Luffy smiled before dancing where he stood to dodge whatever flew from the bushes. Nami hid behind the boats while stood his ground. When everything stopped, they all heard a laugh coming from up on the hill. They looked up to see a skinny young man with a long nose staring down at them with his arms crossed and a confident smile on his face with many pirate flags sticking up in the bushes behind him bearing the man's jolly roger. Luffy couldn't stop the smile on his face.

"I am Usopp, leader of this island and of an invicible fleet of pirates. I am feared across the world as a monster known as CAPTAIN USOPP!" Usopp yelled out. "You must be fools to have tried to attack this island! If you don't get back into your boats now, my eighty million men will attack!" he screamed with his arms out wide. The trio on the shore just stared up at Usopp while he laughed.

"That's a lie." Nami said with a calm expression. Usopp looked down at her in fear at those words.

"She knows!" he yelled.

"Well, I do now." she said with a smug smile, causing Usopp to freak out how he was stupid for telling them it was a lie.

"Alright, eighty million may have been a bit high, but I do have many men by my side!" he yelled as a few flags in the bushes waved around a bit. Nami smiled again as she pointed to the bushes "You mean those three?"

"AHH! SHE KNOWS!" screamed three little children from the bushes. They then dropped the flags and took off running on the verge of tears while Usopp screamed at them to not run. After they ran, Nami walked away from the boat and picked up one of Usopp's lead stars.

"Never seen a pirate who uses a slingshot." she said as Luffy laughed at Usopp's antics.

"Be quiet!" Usopp shouted as he aimed his slingshot at them. "I'm an expert with this thing!"

"Now that you've drawn your weapon, will you use it?" Luffy asked in a low tone, giving Usopp a serious look with his hat shadowing his eyes. Usopp just looked at look with fear in his eyes at his words. Zoro decided to have some fun as he flicked his blade out of the sheath a bit so Usopp could see the glint of the sword.

"The ones before you are real pirates. Careful, or the next move you make will be your last." he said as he gave a sinister looking grin towards Usopp. Usopp looked like he was going to wet him as he still had his slingshot aimed at Luffy. His whole body trembled before he dropped his weapon and fell to his knees in defeat as he let out a sigh.

"Just like I thought. A real pirate's words have more impact." Usopp said as he looked at trio with a sad look. "Especially since they can back up their words." Luffy and Zoro looked at each other before laughing.

"I stole that." Luffy said as he continued laughing, causing Usopp to look at him confused. "I stole that from Shanks, a pirate I know."

"Wait, you mean Red Haired Shanks?" Usopp asked.

"Yeah. You're Usopp, Yasopp's kid right?" Luffy asked.

"Y-you know my dad?!" Usopp asked as he leaned over the edge of the cliff before falling down. He quickly got to his feet before asking if Luffy knew his father again.

"Yeah. But first, let's get some food."

()()()()

Usopp lead the three of them to a restuarant so that they could eat. While they did, Luffy told Usopp how he met his father. Usopp listened as Luffy told him about how his father went on and on about his kid, which is how he knew who Usopp was. He then went on about how excellent Yasopp's sniping was. How he never missed a shot, or how he said he could hit the antenna of an ant without hurting the rest. Usopp smiled as he listened to every word, glad to have heard something about his father after over a decade.

"Hey Usopp." Nami said after Luffy started eating again. "We weren't hoping to get a better ship. Know anyone who can help us?"

"Sorry, but we don't have anyone here who can help." Usopp said with a hint of a nervous tone.

"What about whoever's in that mansion on the hill?" Nami asked. "I saw it from earlier."

"Do not go there!" Usopp yelled as he stood up, shocking Nami and Zoro. Luffy remained calm, knowing who was there and what was going on. Usopp looked at them nervously before he grabbed his bag. "I uh...got somewhere to be. Everyone here knows me, so eat all you want. It's on me." he said as he walked out the door.

"Wonder what's wrong with him?" Zoro asked. Luffy just shrugged before they went back to eating. After a few minutes of Luffy gorging himself, they were about to leave before the door burst open.

"The Usopp Pirates are here!" screamed the children who were with Usopp earlier. The trio looked back at them as they approached their table.

"Where's our Captain, you savages?!" screamed the one called Pepper, with Carrot and Onion right behind him.

"Ah, that was some good meat." Luffy said as he patted his swollen belly, which caused the kids to look at him in horror.

"M-meat?"

"N-no way."

"These guys are cannibals."

Luffy smiled as Nami tried to hold in her giggles. Zoro looked at the kids with a dark smile as he leaned on the table.

"Your captain," he said as he gave a dark smirk "was eaten."

"AAAAHHHHH! CANNIBALS!" they screamed as they looked at Nami, who screamed back as to why they were looking at her as Luffy and Zoro laughed.

'It's even funnier the second time.' Luffy thought as Nami tried to explain it was just a joke.

"B-but you s-s-said-" one of them said, which Zoro and Luffy laughed again. After a short chat about the food and Usopp with the restaurant owner, they all left toward the mansion, where the children said Usopp would be. As they walked, the children started laughing with Luffy.

"You really got us good." they said as they continued to laugh. As they walked, Nami asked why Usopp would be at the mansion, to which they said was to lie. The children went on about how the owner, Kaya, has been sick for about a year when her parents died. How even though she had a lot of money, it didn't make her happy. They then went on about how Usopp went there to tell her stories to lift her spirits, along with what they liked about Usopp. Luffy smiled at that as they arrived at the gate of the mansion.

"We're here." Onion said. "The gate's locked tho-" was all he said before he and his friends screamed at seeing Luffy stretch his arms. Zoro and Nami knew what he was doing as they and the kids grabbed onto Luffy, only to be shot in the air with him. They all flew in the air while everyone screamed in fear, or excitement in Luffy's case, before they all came crashing down next to a tree on the side of the house. Luffy was laughing at the 'successful' landing as he and Zoro walked away from the crater, while Nami grumbled and rubbed her backside.

"My word. Are you alright?" came a voice from the window next to the tree. They all looked up to see Usopp in the tree and Kaya in the window.

"Don't worry. We're okay." Luffy said with a smile.

"Maybe you are!" screamed Nami.

"Who are you all?" Kaya asked.

"Oh them?" Usopp said with a slightly nervous tone. "They're just fans of mine who wanted to join the Usopp pirates."

"No. We're here to see you miss." Luffy said.

"Me? For what reason?"

"Well, we're hoping that-"

"What is the meaning of all this?!" came another voice. Everyone turned to see Klahadore, or Kuro, walking towards them with a sour expression.

"Klahadore." Kaya said.

"Out with you all. You're trespassing." he said as he adjusted his glasses with the palm of his hand.

"Klahadore, these people are-"

"Not now Miss Kaya. We'll talk after this rabble has left." he answered back before she finished. "Now all of you. Leave the grounds unless you have business with me."

"We don't have business with you." Luffy said in a calm voice with his hat over his eyes. "We're here to talk to the lady of the house about lending us a ship."

"She is ill and cannot deal with the likes of you miscreants, so a ship is out of the question." he said as he looked up in the tree and spotted Usopp trying to hide. "USOPP!"

"Crap. He saw me." Usopp said as he looked down at the butler.

"What are you doing here? Trying to worm your way into Miss Kaya's good books to get at her fortune?" Kuro said with a bored expression.

"Khlahadore!" Kaya screamed at him while Usopp tried to get her to calm down.

"Of course you would. Only the son of a filthy pirate would make up a scheme like that." he said. Usopp glared down at Khlahadore.

"What did you just say about my father?!" he screamed as he used a hook to jump down the tree and glared at him some more while trembling in rage.

"Calm down Usopp." Khlahadore said with a smug grin as he adjusted his glasses again before going on. "Why not just do what you do best and lie? Tell us how your father is a traveling salesman. Or that you're really adopted?"

"BASTARD!" Usopp screamed as he slugged Khlahadore right in the face, knocking him to the ground. Kaya and the kids stared in shock while Luffy just watched the evens happen once more. Khlahadore sat up before spewing out Usopp's savage nature and insulting his father again.

"SHUT UP!" Usopp screamed before saying how he was proud of his old man and that he wasn't ashamed to be the son of a pirate. Luffy smiled at that while Khlahadore only grinned before insulting his father once again. Usopp was ready to punch him again, but stopped when Kaya begged him not to hit him anymore. Usopp listened as Khlahadore ordered them all out and to never come back. Usopp left in a huff, saying it was fine with him. After he left, the kids started yelling at Khlahadore for what he said about Usopp. Luffy kept quiet as they left after Khlahadore ordered them to leave again. After they walked out the gate, Luffy ran off to where he remembered where Usopp would be. He slowed down when Usopp was in sight and sat down next to him.

"I want to be left alone Luffy." Usopp said as he looked out at the sea.

"Hey come on Usopp. Don't let that bastard butler get to ya. We both know your dad is a great guy." Luffy said, which got Usopp to smile and say how much he looked up to his old man and wanted to be like him. Luffy smiled before he asked if he would see Kaya again.

"I don't know." he said. "That stupid butler doesn't want me anywhere near her."

"Why not ask politely? He's right there." Luffy said as he pointed down the cliff they were on. Usopp looked down and spotted Khlahadore speaking to a strange man wearing heart shaped glasses. They both listened to them talk about how Khlahadore was Captain Kuro of the Black Cat pirates. How three years ago, he decided to kill Kaya to obtain her fortune after Jango hypnotized her to sign a will stating he would get everything should she die.

"N-no way." Usopp said in a quiet and horrified voice. He couldn't believe what he heard. He also couldn't believe that Luffy had appeared down there next to them when he was at the top of the cliff next to him a moment ago.

"Hey." Luffy said, getting both Kuro and Jango's attention.

"Wha? Who are you?" Jango asked.

"You're that straw hat kid from before." Kuro said as he adjusted his glasses. "What are you doing here?"

"Leave Kaya alone!" Luffy said in a serious tone. Kuro just narrowed his eyes.

"So, you heard our conversation?" he asked before looking at Jango. "Jango."

"Right." Jango said as he pulled out a ring and started to wave it back and forth in front of Luffy. "Watch the ring kid. When I count 1, 2, Jango, you'll walk into the ocean and drown. One...Two...Jan-guh!" was all he said before he fell on his back, foaming at the mouth and unconcious.

"What?!" Kuro said in a surprised voice before he felt a chill run up his spine. He looked back at Luffy, but noticed he was gone. He looked around more before he adjusted his glasses again, hoping to calm his nerves. He failed to notice Luffy was back at the top of the hill before Luffy turned and walked off to find his friends.

()()()()

After some walking, Luffy met up Zoro, Nami, and the three kids.

"Luffy! Where'd you go earlier?" Nami demanded. Luffy then told them all about what he heard back at the cliffs with Usopp.

"WHAAAAT?!" screamed the kids. They couldn't believe what they had heard.

"So that butler is an ex Pirate Captain huh?" Zoro asked in a bored tone.

"And he's scheming to kill Kaya and take her fortune?" Nami asked.

"That's what they said."

"This is terrible!" one of the kids screamed.

"We gotta tell the village!"

"Look! It's Captain Usopp!"

All of them looked down the road to see Usopp's back to them as he stared at the village.

"CAPTAIN!" the kids screamed. Usopp jerked up a bit before he looked back at them smiling.

"Hey guys. What's going on?" he asked as he walked towards them.

"Captain! We heard everything!" screamed Pepper.

"That butler is gonna Kill Kaya!" yelled Carrot.

"We gotta warn everyone in the village." hollered Onion. Usopp had his head down the whole time before looking back up and laughing.

"Oh that? That was all lies." he said. The kids just stared as he continued. "I was just upset about that butler insulting my father, so I decided to get back at him by making all those lies up." he said with a laugh, which was joined in with the kids as they walked away. They didn't get far before they turned to Usopp and stated how disappointed they were in him and how they thought he was better than that before leaving. Usopp just watched with a sad expression before Nami noticed his arm bleeding.

()()()()

The four of them were at the shore where Kuro and Jango were talking earlier as Nami applied first aid to Usopp's arm. After she finished, Luffy asked why he lied to them, knowing what he was going to say. And like last time, Usopp told them it was because all he did was lie. Everyone knew him as a liar, so no one believed him when he said pirates were coming as tears formed in his eyes. He then told them that it started off as to help someone he cared about years ago and he didn't stop since then, and how no one, not even Kaya believed him, and that one of her butlers shot at him.

"All I've ever done is lie. Why should they start believing me now?" he asked as tears rolled down his face.

"Because it's the truth." Zoro said. Luffy watched as a new resolve appeared in Usopp's eyes as he stated that this was his home. That even though they chased him and shot at him, he still loved this village, and that he would protect it. Zoro grinned at this. "Brave of you to send your men off while you fight alone."

"Just letting you all know, I call dibs on their treasure. Got it?" Nami said as Usopp looked at the three of them while Luffy cracked his knuckles, asking if Usopp wanted some help.

"Wha? You'll help me?" Usopp asked. "Why?"

"Because you said they're bad guys." Luffy said.

"And you look ready to piss yourself in fear." Zoro said with a smirk.

"Hey! I'm a brave warrior of the sea you know!" Usopp screamed as his legs shook. He hit his legs before admitting he was scared. "They're Kuro's men. Why wouldn't I be scared. Go away if you're helping out of pity!"

"We're not helping out of pity." Zoro said. "We're helping because your a man of honor."

"We're not gonna stick our necks out because of pity." Luffy said.

"You guys..." Usopp said as he rubbed his tears away with his arm. "Alright. We have to get ready. They'll attack at dawn, so we have until they to prepare some traps." They all then walked back up the slope as Usopp said that they would attack from this shore. Luffy kept quiet about the other shore as Usopp spoke, asking what they were good at.

"Slicing."

"Stretching."

"Stealing."

"Hiding."

"YOU'RE FIGHTING TOO, YOU ASSHOLE!" Zoro and Nami screamed at Usopp, who wheezed out that it was a joke.

'That's Usopp for ya." Luffy thought with a grin. They came back a bit later with barrels of oil, which they dumped down the slope.

"I get it." Nami said. "Since this slope is narrow, they'll have a hard time getting through with this oil trap."

"Of course. As long as we can funnel them, taking them out will be easy." Usopp said, feeling pride at his idea. "Now all we have to do is wait."

"Before they get here, there's something I need to ask you Luffy." Zoro said, getting everyone's attention. "How'd you survive that cannonball and that Axe?"

"Cannonball?" Usopp asked.

"Axe?" Nami asked.

"I saw it both times. Right before you got hit, something black covered your body. What exactly was that?" he asked in a serious tone. Luffy put his hand to his chin and looked up in thought.

"Hmm. How should I explain this?

That's it for this chapter. The fighting will be next chapter.


	9. Haki

It was dawn. The pirates were coming, and the four of them were up at the top of the slope. They looked out at the ocean, speaking not a word as they waited for the fight that was to come. As they did, Usopp, Nami, and Zoro were still stunned by what they saw not too long ago.

-Flashback-

"Haki?" Zoro asked.

"Yeah. That's what it's called." Luffy said with a grin.

"So that's how you survived both attacks Luffy?" Zoro asked as Nami remembered the cannonball while Usopp looked lost as to what they were talking about.

"Exactly."

"Okay. So...what is it?"

"It's...well...hmm." Luffy said as he had his hand to his chin again in thought. "It's a mystery power." he answered, causing the three others to fall over.

"Is that all you can say?!" Zoro roared at Luffy. Luffy thought for a moment before grinning.

"You know, rather than tell you, I'll show you." he said as he took off his hat and gently placed it on the ground before looking them all straight in the eye and said "Hit me."

"Huh?" they all asked, thinking they heard wrong.

"Hit you?" Nami asked.

"Yeah. As hard as you all can. Don't hold back."

"Are you crazy or something?" Usopp asked, now sure that Luffy had lost his mind.

"It's okay. Just do it." Luffy said as he stood completely still with his arms at his sides.

"Alright." Zoro said as he pulled his arm back before punching Luffy in the head, knowing it wouldn't hurt him. They watched as Luffy's body stayed put, but his head flew back as his neck stretched out.

"GYAAAAAAAH!" Usopp screamed, freaking out at seeing Luffy's rubber powers for the first time. "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU?!" he screamed again as Luffy's head came flying back before stopping where his head was before the punch.

"I'm a rubber man." Luffy said before they told Usopp that he ate a Devil fruit.

"No way. Those things exist?" Usopp asked, still shocked at seeing what he saw.

"Yep." he answered before looking at Zoro again. "Hit me again."

"Really?" Zoro asked, now getting bored.

"Yes." Luffy said with a grin. Zoro sighed but pulled his arm back again and threw the punch. His fist hit Luffy in the face like last time, only Luffy's head didn't budge as Zoro drew his fist back, waving his hand before seeing where he hit had turned black on Luffy's forehead.

"What is that?" Nami asked pointing at Luffy's head as Usopp rubbed his eyes.

"This," Luffy said as he pointed at the blackened part of his head. "This is Armament Haki." he declared as the black faded from his head.

"Armament...Haki?" Usopp asked.

"Haki is basically pure willpower." he said as he held up a fist and turned it black. "With training, you can unlock two of the three forms of haki. This black stuff is Armament Haki. It acts like a suit of armor around your self." he said as he hand turned back to normal. "And it even lets your attacks hurt those who are Logia types."

"N-no way." Nami said wide eyed as Usopp's jaw practically hit the ground.

"Huh? So that's how you're still alive after those attacks?" Zoro said in a slightly impressed tone.

"Yeah." Luffy continued. "And with enough training, you can even infuse that power into your swords Zoro." This caused Zoro to grin as Luffy looked to Usopp. "And even in things like your slingshot attacks.

"Really?" Usopp asked excitedly with stars in his eyes. "That's so cool!"

"Wait a minute." Nami interrupted. "You said that there were three forms of this haki stuff right?"

"Yeah. There are two more." Luffy said as he held up two fingers. "Another one is called Observation Haki."

"How does that work?" Usopp asked.

"Simple." Luffy said as he turned his back to them all and closed his eyes. "Your turn Nami. Attack me however you like."

"What?" she asked.

"Trust me Nami." Luffy said. All of them stared at him before Nami sighed and got out her staff.

"Fine." she said as she got ready to attack.

"A strike to my legs." Luffy said moments before Nami swung at his legs as he jumped to avoid the hit.

"What?" she said as she looked at Luffy.

"He...predicted her attack?" Usopp gasped as Zoro stared in surprise. Nami raised her staff to attack again.

"A strike to the top of my head." he said before he turned slightly so that her staff hit the ground. Again they all stared at him before she brought her staff up again. "A strike to my back." he said before doing a backflip to avoid the staff strike a third time.

"No way..." Nami said as she stared at Luffy, who looked back and grinned.

"From what I've learned, everyone emits a 'voice' while they live. Observation Haki allows one to hear this voice and know what they're planning to do next. Usually, those who give off a killing instinct can be read more easily. But with enough training, you can hear the voice of anyone. That's what Observation Haki is."

"So basically, you could read our minds a moment before we strike. Is that it?" Zoro asked.

"That's it." Luffy grinned.

"No way. With that kind of power, you can be invicible!" Usopp shouted.

"Not really." Luffy said "Even if you can see it coming, what's the point if you can't do anything to stop or evade it?"

"Hmm. Good point." Zoro said.

"So...what's the third one Luffy?" Usopp asked.

"I'll show you when the pirates get here." Luffy said as he looked back to the ocean, ending the conversation.

-Flashback Ends-

'The power to know what your opponent will do beforehand.' Zoro thought. 'And the power to create a suit of armor around one's self. Both with your will alone.' Zoro looked at Luffy before finishing his thoughts. 'Who exactly is this guy that I'm following as Captain?'

()()()()

"Where are they?" Luffy asked as dawn had come with no pirates in sight.

"They should've been here by now." Zoro said in slight annoyance. Everything was quiet until Nami put a hand to her ear.

"I hear shouting coming from the north." she said.

"The north?" Usopp asked before his eyes widened. "Wait a minute! The northern shore!" he shouted.

"Wait. So we're at the wrong shore?" Zoro asked.

"Well they had their secret meeting here, so I thought they would attack from here as well!" Usopp yelled. "This oil trap is worthless now!"

"So all we gotta do is get to the north shore huh?" Luffy asked before Nami screamed in panic.

"Our boats are there! They'll get my treasure!" she screamed.

"Let's go guys. Which way Usopp?" Luffy asked.

"It's identical to this shore. Just run north and you'll be there in three minutes!" he shouted.

"Alright. Shave." Luffy said before he disappeared right before their eyes.

"Huh?" the three said before they blinked and ran off towards the shore. At least, Usopp did. Nami slipped in the oil, but grabbed Zoro's ankle to get herself up the slope, leaving Zoro to slide to the bottom.

"Sorry Zoro!" she shouted as she ran off.

"I'm gonna get that bitch for this!" Zoro grumbled in a dark tone.

()()()()

At the northern shore, the Black Cat Pirates had arrived and were ready to head up the slope to attack the village. While they were going over the plan, Luffy had arrived at the top and sat on the ground, crossing his arms and legs, waiting for his friends to arrive.

"So that was North huh?" Luffy said to himself. He remembered how he got mixed up last time and used his Haki to find the black cats. He looked down at them, remembering them and their scum of a Captain. He was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard footsteps behind him. He smiled without turning his head. "Looks like you're second Usopp."

"Whoa. You got here pretty fast." Usopp said as he caught his breath. "You vanished just like that." Luffy just smiled.

"Hey look!" shouted one of the black cats at the shore, getting both their attention. "Who are those two?"

"AHH! They saw us!" Usopp yelled, looking at them all in fear. Luffy just sat there picking his nose with his pinky.

"So?" he asked. Usopp just stared before losing it completely.

"SO?! SO THEY'RE HERE TO ATTACK THE VILLAGE AND KILL KAYA! HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN EVERYTHING?!" Usopp yelled.

"If we beat them, they won't get there. Right?" Luffy asked.

"W-well yeah." Usopp said before he looked back down at them and got scared again. "But that's a lot of pirates down there!" he screamed as he pointed at them. While they were talking, one of the pirates noticed their boats and took a look, finding a bag of treasure in it.

"Captain Jango! There's treasure here!" the pirate yelled, getting everyone's attention. "It's probably worth five, maybe ten million berris."

"What?! That much?!" Jango screamed. As the black cats looked at the boat, Usopp got an idea.

"Yeah. That's my treasure!" he shouted at them. "I'll give it to you all if you'll leave this island for good!" he said before he was looking at the sky as Luffy used his arm to knock Usopp off his feet. "Huh?" was all he muttered before his head hit the ground.

"Usopp." Luffy said in calm voice as Usopp sat back up and rubbed the back of his head. He looked at Luffy who's eyes were shadowed by his hat. "That treasure is Nami's. She needs it for something very important." he said. Usopp looked at him as Luffy's head slowly turned. "Also, doing something like that with her treasure," he said before looking at him with a terror filled expression and sweat on his face. "Is guaranteed to get you an ass whooping."

"YOU GOT THAT RIGHT?!" Nami screeched as she came out of nowhere and smashed her staff against the back of Usopp's head, shoving his face into the ground. "I heard every word Usopp! What's the big idea trying to give away my treasure you asshole!" she screamed out.

"I-I'm sorry." Usopp muttered as he looked up at her, now wondering who was more terrifying. Her, or Kuro's men?"

"Hey." Jango called, gaining their attention. "What nonsense are you spouting? We're pirates, so we'll take your treasure AND attack the village. GET EM!" At his words, the Black Cat Pirates stormed up the hill, ready to kill Luffy, Nami, and Usopp before attacking the village. Nami and Usopp freaked, while Luffy just sat there watching.

"Luffy. Do something!" Nami yelled.

"Why? You guys can take them." he said without looking at her.

"Are you crazy?!" she and Usopp yelled. They began to shake him by his vest and yell out reasons why they couldn't as he kept the same expression on his face. While they did that, the black cat's were halfway up the hill.

"Better hurry. They're getting closer." Luffy said, making them both look back at the approaching pirates.

"Shit!" Usopp yelled as he reached into his bag of tricks and pulled out some kaltrops. Nami saw this and helped him throw them down the path, leaving them everywhere for the pirates to step on. They watched them all howl in pain before they realized that a lot were thrown behind them as well, trapping them there. Usopp turned back to them and starting shooting lead stars at them all, knocking them back one at a time.

"Nami." Luffy said. "If any of them get close, you take them out and cover Usopp. Got it?"

"You're nuts if you think I can-"

"Got it?!" he said as he looked up at her with a serious expression, leaving no room for arguement.

"Fine." Nami grumbled as she pulled out her staff and stood next to Usopp, reluctantly ready to fight. As good a shot Usopp was, their numbers were too great as some managed to get close. When they did though, Nami fought them off as best she could with her staff. They were almost outnumbered until...

"USOPP! NAMI! DUCK!" Luffy yelled out. They looked back before freaking and ducking, letting an enraged Zoro swat the entire crew away like flies, all the way back down the hill. Everyone looked up to see an oil covered Zoro breathing hard. He finally caught his breath before glaring down at Nami.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't cut you to pieces!" he growled out at her.

"Hey, it's not my fault. I tripped, you fell." she said.

"BULLSHIT!"

"Hey Zoro. What took you so long?" Luffy asked, getting a death glare from his first mate.

"Not now Luffy." he growled out.

"This is nuts!" one of the pirates said as they were all picking themselves up from Zoro's attack.

"No one said anything about monsters being in this village!"

"What do we do Captain Jango?!"

While they were all asking Jango what to do, Luffy and his friends were chatting at the top of the hill.

"Why didn't you fight Luffy?" Nami demanded. "You could've used that Haki or whatever and taken them all out with no problem."

"She's right." Usopp said. "All you did was sit there and pick your nose." They both glared at Luffy while Zoro remained silent as Luffy looked at them all.

"Nami," Luffy said as he looked her in the eye. "You want to go to the Grand Line for certain reasons. Right?" he asked, keeping her reason for money to himself.

"Y-yeah." she said before Luffy looked at Usopp.

"Usopp. This is your village, and you want to protect it. Correct?"

"Of course I do." he answered back.

"Well to do that, you both need to get stronger." he said in a calm voice. "I'm strong, but that doesn't mean you need to count of me to do everything." Both of them just looked at him as his words sank in before he continued. "No matter how good you guys are at using tricks or deception, sometimes fighting is the only answer, no matter how much you try to avoid it."

"He's right." Zoro said, gaining there attention. "Whether fighting for your ambitions, your home, or for some other reason, without strength there's nothing you can do." he said as he unsheathed his white blade. "And the only way to do that is either through training or fighting others." Both just let their words sink in before they sighed and turned back to the pirates down the hill.

"Hey, what's he doing down there?" Usopp asked, noticing Jango swinging a ring back and forth in front of everyone else.

"It's Hypnosis." Nami said. "He's trying to hypnotize them all." While the ring swung, Luffy pulled his hat over his eyes, remembering that he went all out last time he stared at the ring. If that happened now, he doubted that the island would still be left after he was done.

"One...Two...JANGO!" Jango said. A moment later, all the pirates gave out a loud battle cry, ignoring their wounds from earlier as one smashed the side of the cliff with his bare hands.

"W-what the fuck?!" Zoro yelled.

"He...smashed the side of the cliff!" Nami gasped.

"And now all of them are that strong." Usopp muttered in horror.

"Hmm. Maybe I'll help this once." Luffy said as Jango ordered them all to attack again. As they charged up the hill, Luffy stood up, his hat covering his eyes as a grin appeared on his face. "You guys asked about that third form of Haki right?"

"Now's not the time Luffy!" Nami screamed at Luffy. Zoro was getting his other swords out but stopped when Luffy held up his hand.

"I got this Zoro." he said as the pirates were nearly upon them. They were a few feet away before Luffy looked up at them all. And then, before anyone knew what had happened, Luffy had let out a controlled blast of Haki at all the pirates. Time seemed to slow down as all the pirates, besides Jango, stumbled and fell, everyone of them unconcious. Luffy just smirked while the others felt their breath catch in their throats as they stared at Luffy wided eyed.

"Oi...Luffy." Zoro managed to say.

"What...was that?" Nami said as Usopp's jaw hit the ground.

"That," Luffy said. "Is Conqueror's Haki."

"Conqueror's Haki?" they all asked.

"It's very rare and said that only one in a million can use it." Luffy explained. "It's basically my willpower against theirs. Since my will was stronger, that happened." he said as he pointed his finger down at the unconcious pirates.

"No way!" Usopp said as he, Nami, and Zoro stared at the scene before them.

"That's...impressive." Zoro said. Nami was stunned speechless as she glanced back and forth between Luffy and the pirates.

'No way. Maybe...' she thought before shaking her head. 'No! I almost have enough. I won't risk their lives. Besides...they're still pirates.'

"This...can't be happening." Jango gasped out. "How did this happen?!" he screamed. "If Captain Kuro sees this, he'll kill us all! He began to sweat before he heard two voices coming from the ship and got an idea. "Since it's come down to this...NYANBAN BROTHERS!" he shouted. At his words, two figures lept from the ship and landed right behind Jango.

"Sham here Captain Jango." said a skinny man with a hunch and green hair.

"Buchi here. What's going on Captain?" said a fat man with a large bell around his neck. Both of them had clawed gloves and cat like features.

"Those kids up there are keeping us from our job." Jango said as he pointed at the four on the hill. "Deal with them."

"W-what?" Sham said as he shook in fear. "But we're just the watchmen."

"No way we can take them on." Buchi said as he coward next to Sham.

"SHUT UP AND ATTACK ALREADY!" Jango ordered.

"What's wrong with those two?" Nami asked.

"They look ready to piss themselves." Zoro said as he walked forward a bit. "So who deals with who?"

"You can have them all to yourself Zoro." Usopp smiled as he waved a bit.

"Yeah, have at em Zoro." Nami said smiling as much as Usopp. Zoro just grunted as Sham came running towards him, waving his claws in the air. He was sounding like a scared kid trying to act tough to a bully as he got closer. Zoro just watched with a bored expression as Sham got closer.

"Keep your guard up Zoro." Luffy said as he watched everything happening in front of him.

"Alright." Zoro said as went for his other swords, but blocked as Sham's cowardly farce faded and attacked him.

"Zoro!" Nami and Usopp shouted as Sham jumped back away from Zoro. Zoro noticed he was missing two of his blades, which were on Sham's back. Sham took his swords and tossed them down the hill. Zoro went to attack Sham, slicing his side before running for his swords, only for Sham to jump onto his back and hold him to the ground for Buchi to jump into the air and stomp his head into the ground. Zoro managed to evade in time before using his one sword to block Sham and Buchi's relentless attack.

"He'll be a scratching post soon." Usopp said as he loaded his slingshot and aimed at the brothers, but was stopped by Luffy.

"Those two will kill you if you do that." he said. "If you want to help, get Zoro his swords."

"I'll get them." Nami said as she made her way past the Zoro and the Nyanban brothers and ran for his swords, not noticing Jango walking up the hill with his ring out. Jango stepped on the blade just as Nami grabbed the blade. She looked up just in time to see the ring coming towards her, but stop just as it pierced the fabric of her shirt on her shoulder.

"That was too close." came Luffy's voice. Nami looked up to see that Luffy had grabbed Jango's arm, preventing Jango from hurting her.

"Hey! Let go you bastard!" Jango yelled as he tried pulling away from Luffy before he turned blue and gasped. Nami just stared before she heard Sham and Buchi gasp in horror. She, Zoro, and Usopp all looked at where they were looking, while Luffy didn't budge as he knew who was there. "C-C-Captain Kuro!" Jango managed to squeek out.

"It's past the appointed time to attack." Kuro said in a calm voice from on top of the hill. "Yet, everyone is unconscious or being held off by children. He adjusted his glasses before bellowing out "WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?!"

Sorry. I guess the fight is next chapter. I apologize and hope you'll all bear with me here.


	10. Kuro's Defeat and the Going Merry

"Ca-Captain Kuro!" Jango gasped, terrified at the sight of his former captain glaring down at him. He was sweating bullets as Kuro adjusted his glasses with the palm of his hand.

"Well Jango?" he asked in a low tone. "Care to explain all this?"

"I-I-I don't know. All that punk in the strawhat did was glare at them and they passed out!" Jango screamed in panic. While he was screaming, many of the pirates began to stir and awake from Luffy's haki. Some looked around, wondering why they felt so cold before they saw Kuro and felt colder.

"CAPTAIN KURO!" one of them screamed, getting everyone else's attention. All of them began to sweat in fear at their former Captain, who glared at them all.

"I told you all not to call me that name." Kuro said as he eyed Luffy. 'To make an entire pirate crew of this size to collapse with a glare.' he thought. 'He's not normal, that's for certain. However, he will not disrupt my plans.'

"Oh man. He's angry." Sham said as he cowarded next to Buchi.

"This is disgraceful. To think that the Black Cat Pirates could be beaten by mere children. Have you all really gotten that weak?" Kuro asked in a bored tone.

"Weak?!" Buchi screamed as he and his brother looked outraged before charging towards him.

"You're the one who spent three years as a butler while we've been sailing the seas!" Sham screamed before they both cried out "WE'LL SHOW YOU WHO'S WEAK!" Kuro remained motionless as they attacked, but disappeared a split second before their claws hit him.

"There it is." Jango said, his arm still in Luffy's grasp. "His 'Stealh Foot' technique." Everyone looked around to find Kuro except Luffy, who hadn't moved at all. He looked down to see Nami looking around as well.

"Nami." he said, getting her's and Jango's attention. "Zoro needs his swords," he said before a small smile came to his lips. "And you've got some treasure to steal right?" he asked before throwing Jango back away from the both of them. Nami smiled at the mention of treasure.

"Right." she said as she grabbed Zoro's swords and threw them towards him. "ZORO! CATCH!" Zoro turned his head slightly to see his swords flying towards him before he caught them both effortlessly as Kuro appeared behind Sham and Buchi, his Cat Claws spread out and aimed at them both.

"It seems I have gotten a bit slower these past few years." he said in a low tone as Buchi and Sham started crying. "I'm giving you all just five minutes to kill these pests." he said as he withdrew his claws and stepped back. "If you don't, then you all die by my hand."

"Five minutes?!" one of the black cats said as they all started to tremble.

"We can't do it in five minutes!"

"These guys are monsters!" they said. Buchi and Sham however went to attack, only to be defeated by Zoro's three sword style. All the pirates went a little blue at seeing the Nyanban Brothers beaten in one move. While all this was happening, Nami slipped away to steal their treasure. Usopp just stared at all this but snapped out of it to point his weapon at Kuro.

"Hey Butler!" Usopp screamed as he shook in fear and rage. "This is your last warning! Leave this island, or my 8000 men will destroy you!"

"One more minute and counting." Kuro said, ignoring Usopp. At his words, Jango hypnotized Buchi to grow stronger, who then went after Zoro again.

"You alright Zoro?" Luffy asked as if asking what the weather was like.

"I'm good." he grunted as he fought with Buchi. While they fought, the black cats attacked Luffy. Luffy smirked as he easily dodged and side stepped them all. Usopp had sent a lead star towards Kuro, who used his 'stealth foot' move to avoid it.

"Time's up." he said as he flexed his claws, but grew angry at footsteps behind him. "Never is it a good idea," he said as he turned around to strike. "TO SNEAK UP ON ME!"

"LOOK OUT!" Usopp screamed as he tackled Kaya to the ground before Kuro's claws got her. "Kaya! What are you doing here?! You were supposed to hide!"

"Usopp." she said in a quiet voice. "Merry told me everything. Khlahadore's nothing but a pirate. You were telling the truth...and yet..." she trailed off as tears fell from her eyes.

"Miss Kaya. This is no place for one in your condition." Kuro said in a calm voice. "You should return to the mansion where it's safe." This only seemed to infuriate Kaya, who stood between him and Usopp and offered him her fortune if he left the island for good. He told her he wanted her money, but also peace. That when she died, Money and peace would be his at last. Kaya then pulled out a pistol and aimed at Kuro. Kuro removed a claw before reminding her of their time together for the past three years. All the times together they shared before he grabbed the pistol from her doubting hands, stating that it all made him sick. That after she died, his plan of three years would be complete as he dropped the pistol.

"You bastard!" Usopp said as he grabbed the pistol. "KURO!" he screamed as he shot at him, only to miss as Kuro vanished and reappeared, surrounding Usopp's head with his claws.

"I still need to repay you for hitting me Usopp." he said. "That hurt you know." Before he could attack however, the blades on the hand pointed at Usopp were snapped in the blink of an eye.

"Then you're in for a bad day." Luffy said as he appeared next to Kuro with his hand where the claws snapped, shocking everyone.

"What?!"

"Captain Kuro!"

"How'd you get there?!"

Kuro just sneered at Luffy before he was hit in the back of the head with what appeared to be a spade.

"The Usopp Pirates are here!" the three kids yelled as they appeared and attacked Kuro with their weapons.

"No! Get away from him!" Usopp screamed, but they ignored him as they attacked before they said they'd let him off with a warning. "Why are you three here?!" Usopp screamed.

"Why'd you lie to us Captain?!" they screamed back before they shut up at Kuro glaring at them all, then screamed in terror.

"Enough of this nonsense. Jango, take of Kaya and these urchins." he said as he turned back to Luffy. "I will take care of this boy."

"Yes Captain Kuro!" Jango said.

"Do not call me that name Jango! That name died a long time ago!" he bellowed before he lunged at Luffy. He slashed at him, only to hit air

"Sorry Kuro." Luffy said with a laugh as he appeared behind them all. "But you're too slow."

"No way." one of the pirates said. "There's no way he can be faster."

"But he dodged him so easily." another said before a cry of pain filled the air. Everyone turned to see that Zoro had defeated Buchi.

"Jango! Hypnotize Miss Kaya to sign the will then kill her!" Kuro shouted, getting his subordinate's attention.

"Yes Captain." he said before a lead star hit him in the forehead, knocking him off his feet.

"Usopp pirates!" Usopp shouted. "Take Kaya and run!"

"No way! We can't leave our-"

"THERE'S NO TIME TO DEBATE THIS! YOUR JOB IS TO PROTECT KAYA!" Usopp screamed. "ISN'T THIS WHY WE BECAME PIRATES?! TO PROTECT WHAT WE CARE ABOUT?!" The kids looked at him with tears as he screamed "NOW GO! THAT'S AN ORDER!"

"Yes Captain!" they yelled as they ran off with Kaya into the woods. Jango, who had gotten to his feet, chased after them.

"Hold it!" Usopp yelled before Kuro kicked him away.

"It's useless you know." Kuro said. "All of you will die here."

"That's what you think." Luffy said with a smirk.

"Hmph." Kuro said before he started swaying.

"NO CAPTAIN KURO! NOT THAT MOVE!" some of the pirates screamed in terror.

"I told you before that Kuro is dead." he said as he glared at his crew. "Along with anyone who knows me."

"Wait. You're going to kill us?!" one of them said.

"That has been the plan from the start. Kuro will die here and now." he said. "Out-Of-The-Bag-Attack!" he said as he vanished with purple smoke traveling down the hill.

"This is all the treasure they have?" Nami complained as she walked onto the bow of the ship. She then noticed all the pirates with horrified expressions on their faces. "What's...going on?" She looked on as no one moved, petrified with fear. She looked up to see Luffy standing still as well, his eyes shadowed by his hat. "Luffy?"

"SHAVE!" he said as he disappeared as well. Suddenly, they could hear the sounds of metal clashing against something all around them. As this happened, a few slash marks wound up on the rocks or the hillside, with only minor cuts hitting the pirates.

"What the heck?" one said as a light slash hit his chest. "Captain Kuro's attack...isn't killing anyone?" Just then, a slash mark appeared in front of Usopp's feet, spooking him as he fell on his ass.

"Hey Usopp." Zoro called as he ran up the hill. "I don't know what's happening, but that girl's in trouble. Let's go."

"R-right!" he said as they both ran after Jango and Kaya.

"What's going on?" Nami said as some of the pirates were either freaking out or looking confused. Finally, both Luffy and Kuro appeared out of nowhere as Luffy kept Kuro's claws at bay with his bare hand. Kuro looked up at him in surprise and fury.

"To keep up the speed of my technique and deflect my attacks!" he growled. "Who are you boy?"

"Monkey D. Luffy." he said as he grinned at Kuro before they lept away from each other. Kuro adjusted his glasses again.

"And why exactly are you defending this village anyway?"

"There's a guy in that village I don't want to die. That's why." Luffy said. "Time to end this."

"Indeed." Kuro said as he vanished again, but was punched by Luffy who appeared right next to him. Kuro skid across the ground before he got up, only to meet Luffy's elbow with his ribs. As he coughed up some blood, Luffy kicked him away with the heel of his foot.

"No way. He's beating the Captain." some of the pirates said before they started cheering Luffy on. Luffy shut them up by using a Gum Gum Whip to smash them into the cliffside.

"YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO CHEER FOR ME!" he screamed as Kuro managed to stand up.

'No!' he thought. 'My perfect plan will not fail to this trash!' he said as he vanished again and appeared behind Luffy, ready to strike.

"LUFFY! WATCH OUT!" Nami screamed. Luffy smiled before he appeared right behind Kuro with his arms held out. He then smashed both his fists against the sides of Kuro's head, knocking the ex butler out for good. He let Kuro fall to the ground as some of the pirates asked who he was.

"I told you. Monkey D. Luffy. I'm the man who will be King of the Pirates." he said as he threw Kuro at them. "Now leave and never come back. And take that guy with you." The pirates collected Kuro and left after Nami got off the ship.

"You took that guy down without a scratch." Nami said as she looked at Luffy. "How'd you move that fast anyway? And why did you save them?"

"Shishishishi. I'll tell you later. And I wasn't saving them, but he was moving everywhere, so he might've hurt you, Zoro and Usopp." he laughed before he looked at her shoulder. "He didn't hurt you, right?"

"Huh?" she said as she looked at her shoulder. "Nah. He just got my shirt. I'm fine." she said as she held up a bag of treasure and smiled. "And some treasure too."

"That's good to hear." Luffy sighed in relief. "I'm glad you're not hurt Nami. Come on, let's go join the others."

"Right." she said as she walked up the hill in front of him. As he followed, he started looking at her up and down slowly. He started from her neck, down to her hips, and then at her legs. As he did, his heart beat faster as he blushed.

'It's that mystery feeling again.' he thought with a small smile. 'I still like it.'

"Hey!" came Usopp's voice, snapping Luffy out of his thoughts as his blush went as fast as it came. They looked to see Zoro and Usopp running back, stating that Jango was beaten and that Kaya and the kids were alright. "That's good." Luffy said as Usopp stared out at the ocean.

()()()()

After a few days, the trio were eating at the restaurant from before. As they got up to leave, Kaya came in looking much better.

"Hey Miss. You're looking better." Luffy said as he finished his meal.

"I can't stay in bed forever." she said. "Thanks to Usopp's friendship, I'm finally able to start recovering." She explained that her illness was due to the shock of losing both her parents as she went for the door. "I wish to repay you all for your kindness. Please follow me." she said before she left.

"Wonder what she wants to give us?" Zoro said. As he and Nami stood up, both noticed Luffy was trembling slightly.

"Luffy?" Nami asked.

"Shishishishi." Luffy laughed before he hopped over to the door. He knew what it was, and couldn't wait to see an old friend again. The trio followed her towards the shore, where they met another butler named Merry, who was bandaged up a bit after Kuro attacked him. They all followed until they were at the shore, where a ship was resting comfortably near it. It was none other than the Going Merry.

"A caravel!" Nami said with a smile as Luffy jumped high into the air with joy.

"This is for us?" Luffy asked, knowing the answer already.

"Yes. She's yours now." Kaya said smile.

"She's an older model, but I designed her myself and she sails beautifully." Merry said. "Her name...Going Merry!" While he explained how to control the ship to Nami, Luffy had jumped on board and started running around, tears threatening to fall from his eyes.

"Luffy, will you stop goofing around?!" Nami yelled. Before he could answer, they heard screaming coming from up the hill. They all looked to see Usopp rolling down the hill with a boulder sized backpack on his back.

"SOMEONE HELP ME!" he screamed.

"That looks like fun." Luffy said as he jumped next to Zoro.

"Fun or not, he's on a collision course with the ship." he said in a bored tone.

"Usopp!" Kaya said in surprise as Zoro and Luffy both raised their feet, stopping Usopp from hitting the ship as his face smashed against them both.

"Thanks...I think." Usopp mumbled.

"You're welcome." Luffy said. As the trio got on their new ship, Usopp was saying his goodbyes to Kaya, saying he'd return one day with more stories. She smiled and said she'd be waiting before he turned to the trio.

"So long guys. May our paths cross again." Usopp waved.

"Why?" Luffy asked.

"Why? What's wrong with you? I'm heading off on a journey and I hope we meet again someday." Usopp said.

"Stop yapping and get on already." Zoro said pointing at the ship.

"Huh?"

"We're friends now right? So get on." Luffy said with a smile. Usopp just stared before he jumped and threw his fist into the air.

"I'm a real pirate Captain now!" he screamed.

"No! That's what I am Usopp!" Luffy yelled back as they all laughed. After they hauled him and his stuff on board, Usopp waved goodbye to Kaya, Merry, and the three kids who showed up to see them off. After that, they got out some booze to celebrate. "To our new ship and our new crewmate!" Luffy yelled.

"CHEERS!" they yelled with smiles on their faces.

'Merry.' Luffy thought. 'I can't tell you how glad I am to see you. It's hard that we can't bring you into the New World, even with your full strength. But this time, we'll take better care of you. That's a promise.'


	11. Baratie

A/N: I don't remember much about the Island of Rare Animals episode, so I'll just mention it and move on.

* * *

It had been some time since they left on their new ship. Zoro was napping, Nami was looking over maps, Usopp was pretending to fight something by swinging a pole around, and Luffy was working on something in the corner. Usopp looked at them all relaxing.

"Aren't you guys a little too relaxed?" he asked.

"Done!" Luffy yelled, getting everyone's attention.

"With what?" Zoro asked as he woke from his nap.

"Our mark." Luffy said as he held up a Jolly Roger. The other three looked at it in confusion and horror. It looked just the same as when Luffy first painted it: bent and disfigured.

"This is our...mark?" they asked as Luffy smiled.

"Yeah. Pretty cool huh?" Luffy asked. Usopp sighed before he stepped forward.

"Shouldn't our mark strike fear to our enemies?" Zoro asked.

"Here. Let the artist show you how it's done." Usopp said before he painted a new symbol on the black flag before holding it up. It was better, though it looked like one for Usopp.

'Just like last time.' Luffy thought as he gave an annoyed look before he and Zoro hit him. "Rejected." he and Zoro said before Usopp redrew it.

"How about this?" Usopp asked as he held up the one that Luffy knew. The one with a skull and crossbones wearing a strawhat.

"That's very good." Nami said.

"That's the one. Draw it on the sails too Usopp." Luffy said as he pointed at the sails. Usopp did so before lying on the deck tired. Luffy looked up at the sails and smiled. "Now the pirate ship Going Merry has everything she needs." he said before it started clouding up. 'Oh yeah. And this is our first adventure!' Luffy thought.

()()()()

After their adventure with Gaimon on the Island of Rare animals, they sailed on a bit more. Luffy was looking around until he spotted a rock off in the distance. He smiled as he aimed the cannon and fired at it, missing it a bit.

"What are you doing?" Zoro yelled to him.

"Cannon practice." Luffy answered. "I missed though."

"Hang on. Let the pro show you how it's done." Usopp said as he came over and readjusted the cannon before firing, blasting the rock to pieces.

"Nice shot Usopp." Luffy said with a grin. Usopp just looked on in surprise.

"I...hit it?" he asked before he gave a confident look at them all. "I mean, of course I did. Impressed?"

"That settles it. You're the sniper Usopp." Luffy said.

"Huh? I'm not the captain?" he asked.

"No. I am the Captain!" Luffy stated as they walked into the cabin and sat at the table with the others.

"Alright. But you chicken out on something, I'm Captain." Usopp said.

"Fat chance." Luffy said with a laugh as they sat around the table. Luffy looked at the three of them as they talked. He then looked around the room, remembering everything that they've been through. He couldn't help but smile under his hat at the memories. He was brought out of his thoughts when they all heard crashing coming from outside.

"Come on out, ya stinkin pirates!" shouted a voice. Luffy ran outside, remembering who it was.

"Hey, who are you?" Luffy asked, getting his attention.

"It doesn't matter pirate!" he screamed as he charged at Luffy. "You'll pay for trying to kill me friend!" He swung his sword at Luffy, only to be stopped by Luffy grabbing the blade with his fingers. "What?!"

"Knock it off!" Luffy said as he threw Johnny over his shoulder, letting him slam against the cabin. Johnny slid down a bit before muttering. "You got lucky." Nami and Usopp peaked out the window while Zoro walked outside to see what was going on. He peeked down to see Johnny lying there in pain.

"Johnny? Is that you?" he asked in mild surprise.

"Who's saying my name like we're friends?!" Johnny shouted before he looked up and saw Zoro. "Big Bro Zoro? What are you doing on a pirate ship?"

"That's my line." Zoro said before looking around. "Where's Yosaku?" he asked, which caused Johnny to cry as he pointed over to the railing.

"Over there." he said. Everyone looked over to see a pale and bleeding Yosaku lying in a small boat.

"What happened to him?" Zoro asked as Luffy brought him up to the deck. Johnny explained how he was fine one day, then started getting tired, losing teeth, and his old wound opened. He said he was letting him rest at a nearby rock before some moron blew it up with a cannon. Usopp turned blue at that and bowed with Luffy, who stayed calmed and apologized for what they did.

"YOU THINK AN APOLOGY IS GONNA FIX THIS?!" he yelled, causing Usopp to turn even bluer. He then turned to Zoro. "Don't sugar coat it bro. Will Yosaku die?" Zoro had a grim look on his face, unable to answer since he didn't know. While they were talking, Nami knelt down to Yosaku before examining his face. Johnny started yelling at her, spitting on her as well, claiming that she was mocking his death. She pushed him away before telling them all it was scurvy.

"Luffy. Usopp. There are some limes in storage. Get them." she ordered. Both nodded before they ran off, then came back shortly with a lot of limes. They then started squeezing lime juice into his mouth. "Scurvy's caused by a lack of vitamin C." Nami explained. She then explained how sailors used to sucumb to scurvy often until they learned to store fruits and vegatables. "He'll need some rest, but he'll be okay now."

"Really big sis?!" Johnny yelled happily, spitting on Nami more before she pushed him away. She told him not to call her that again as Luffy and Usopp shoved limes into Yosaku's mouth.

"That's smart Nami." Luffy said. "Are you a doctor as well?" he asked, knowing what was coming.

"EVERY SAILOR SHOULD KNOW ABOUT SCURVY!" she screamed before Yosaku coughed up the limes and sat up. He looked dazed for a moment before he and Johnny started dancing around.

"I'M CURED."

"HE'S CURED."

"HOORAY!"

"YOU DON'T RECOVER THAT FAST!" Nami screamed. Both stopped before they looked at them all.

"Allow us to introduce ourselves. I'm Johnny."

"And I'm Yosaku."

"We're pirate hunters." they both said.

"Big Bro Zoro here once travelled with us." Johnny said.

"Nice to meet ya all." Yosaku said.

"Never thought we'd meet again." Zoro said.

"And we never thought that you'd-" Johnny started.

"End up being a pirate." Yosaku finished as he and Johnny went to shake Zoro's hand before Yosaku went pale and fell down.

"PARTNER?!" Johnny yelled. They helped Yosaku up to a room to rest as they all gathered in the lounge to eat.

"You should learn from this." Nami said as she wrote in the logbook.

"You have to be prepared when going out on the seas." Zoro said.

"Yeah." Usopp said. "Without the right amount of nutrition, you'll die out here."

"Like a chef." Luffy said as he ate some bread. "That's what we need on our ship."

"If it's a chef you're after, I know the perfect place." Johnny said before he looked at Zoro. "But be warned. It's close to the Grand Line, and there have been some rumors about that place. Some of which include a certain Hawk-Eye man is around there as well." Zoro looked up with a grin as he held his sword. Johnny then pointed his finger outward. "Then our heading is clear. North by Northeast. To the sea restaurant, Baratie!" Luffy smiled wide at hearing their next destination as his stomach roared with hunger.

'Finally. Sanji's cooking's the best!' he thought.

()()()()

Some time had passed as they sailed towards the restaurant. Yosaku had woken up from his rest and was talking with the others as Luffy listened.

"So you guys are pirate hunters like Zoro used to be?" Usopp asked.

"That's right." Johnny said as he pulled out some wanted posters from his jacket and placed them on the table. "The higher the bounty, the better the pay."

"After we take out all these guys, we'll go after the bigger fish." Yosaku said as the group looked at the wanted posters. Everyone was looking at the wanted posters with different reactions. Johnny and Yosaku were confident. Usopp looked a little frightened at some of the pictures. Zoro looked at them with a bored expression. Luffy, however, didn't pay any attention to them. He was watching Nami out of the corner of his eye as she picked up one of the posters. She started trembling a bit before she walked towards the door. "Where ya going Big Sis?" Yosaku asked before Johnny clapped his hands over his mouth.

"Just...to get some air." she said as she walked out of the cabin. Everyone stared at the door with a bit of confusion.

"Wonder what's up with her?" Usopp asked as he looked at the others.

"She took a wanted poster with her." Zoro said.

"Maybe Big Sis is aiming for the bounty on that guy." Yosaku said. "What do you think Big Bro Luffy?" he asked. He didn't get an answer though as Luffy had left the cabin as well.

Nami had walked to the stern of the ship with her bangs covering her eyes. She was looking at the wanted poster she picked up earlier as her body trembled some more as she scrunched the wanted poster up.

"Something wrong Nami?" came Luffy's voice from behind her. She tensed at his voice before she put on a fake smile and looked at him, hiding the poster under her shirt.

"N-nothing. Nothing's wrong Luffy." she said as she laughed a bit. Luffy just looked at her with a blank stare. He knew she was lying through her teeth.

"Nami." Luffy said in a calm tone as he stared at her. Nami just gave Luffy a nervous look as she held her hands up.

"Don't worry. Nothing's wrong at all. I'm alri-"

"I saw the wanted poster." Luffy said, stopping her in mid sentence. She tensed up as he walked closer. "Nami...please. What's wrong?" Nami stared at him before she looked down. She started trembling again as Luffy stood in front of her, waiting for an answer. It felt like forever before she let out a sigh and looked up at him. She had a sad look in her eyes as she slowly pulled the sleeve up on her left shoulder, revealing Arlong's mark.

"You remember that hundred million berris I'm trying to get?" she asked in a low, calm tone.

"Yeah."

"It's for my village." she said. She started telling him what happened to her eight years ago. How Arlong and his crew came to her island and took over, killing anyone who didn't pay a tax. She told him how her mother sacrificed herself so that she and her sister could live. Luffy noticed her eyes were welling up as she went on about how Arlong saw one of her maps and decided to force her to work for him. She was close to breaking down when she finished telling him about the deal they made.

"So you need that money to pay that Arlong guy to buy your village's freedom?" he asked.

"That's right." she said as a few tears fell from her eyes. She rubbed them away as she looked back at him. "After eight long years, I've almost collected enough berris. Just one more trip, and I'll have enough."

"Is that so?" Luffy asked. "And what about the rest of your island?"

"There's nothing I can do about that." Nami said in a sad tone. "It was just for my village. After I buy it from Arlong, he'll leave and never come back to the village. Everywhere else on the island...?" was all she said. She couldn't stomach the idea any further. No one should have to suffer like she did.

"Why don't I help you?" Luffy asked, pulling her out of her thoughts.

"What? I thought you were helping me get enough money." she said.

"I meant with the rest of the island. It's clear this Arlong fishman isn't gonna stop." Luffy said as he crossed his arms.

"What are you saying Luffy?"

"I'm saying that after we get a chef, we go to your island and I kick Arlong's ass." he said with a grin. Nami's eyes widened in horror at his idea.

"What?! No way! He'll kill you!" she screamed. She was about to say something else, but stopped when Luffy put a hand on her shoulder.

"You've seen how strong I am Nami." he said with a smile. "I can beat him." Nami just stared at him. She had seen Luffy fight. But she had also seen Arlong and his goons plow through everyone who went agaisnt them when they first arrived. She backed away from Luffy a few steps before shaking her head.

"It doesn't matter how strong you are." she said. "No one can beat Arlong." Luffy looked at her as she gazed at the ground with a sad look in her eyes. He sighed before he smiled at her.

"We're here!" they heard Johnny shouting. Nami wiped her eyes as she and Luffy walked towards the front of the ship. They all saw the floating restaurant Baratie as Johnny looked back at them all. "What do you think?"

"It's amazing." Nami said.

"That's so awesome!" Usopp cried out.

"I told ya guys. Right?" Johnny said before they heard a bunch of noise coming off the side of the ship. They all turned to see a Marine vessel sail next to them. "Marines?!" Johnny said before he and Yosaku hid behind the door.

"You think they'll fire at us?" Usopp asked in fear.

"Great." Zoro mumbled "Just what we needed."

"When did they show up?" Nami asked as someone came out onto the deck of the marine ship. He looked at the pirate ship with a bored expression.

"I've never seen that flag before." he said before he held up his hand at them. "I'm Marine Lt. 'Iron Fist' Fullbody. Who is your Captain?"

"I am. My name's Luffy." Luffy said.

"I'm Usopp. Got it?" Usopp said, which annoyed Luffy all over again.

"We got our pirate mark yesterday." Luffy continued.

"And I am the one who painted it." Usopp said before Luffy looked at him.

"Usopp." Luffy said as he pointed at the flag. "See the flag?" he asked as he pointed at his hat. "See my hat? What part of 'I'm the Captain' don't you understand?" As they talked, Fullbody spotted Johnny and Yosaku.

"You two!" he called. "Aren't you those bounty hunters that go after small game?" he asked before he chuckled. "Caught by no name pirates huh?"

"WHAT?!" they screamed in outrage. They began shouting at him, which he ignored before he held his thumb down.

"That bastard ignored us!" Yosaku said before Usopp shouted that they were aiming a cannon at them. Everyone looked to see a cannonball fly towards them.

"I got it." Luffy said as he held his hands up to catch the cannonball. Johnny and Yosaku stared at him as their jaws hit the deck. Luffy looked at the ball before he looked back at the marine ship, then to Zoro with a smile. Zoro grinned as Luffy pulled his arm back and threw the cannonball right back at them, causing a bit of an explosion on deck. "Fire on my ship will you?" As the marines ran around to put the fire out, the Strawhats tied their ship up and entered the restaurant.

"Welcome to the Baratie, ya darn crooks! Name's Patty." said Patty in a happy tune. "Six in your party?"

"FOOD!" Luffy screamed, getting everyone's attention.

"I'll take that as a yes." Patty said as he led them to a table. "What'll ya have?"

"Like I said. Food." Luffy said with a laugh as the others order some food. Patty started walking away before Fullbody burst into the restaurant looking pissed. He glared around until he saw Luffy and his group before he stomped towards them.

"You filthy, no-name pirates! In the name of the Marines, I'm arresting you for attacking my ship!" he bellowed before a blond man in a suit stood in front of him. Luffy looked and smiled, knowing exactly who it was.

"If you wanna arrest them," Sanji said as he breathed some cigarette smoke out. "Wait until after we've fed them. Alright?"

"Who are you?" Fullbody asked in an annoyed voice. "Like I care if they're customers. They're pirates! They're not getting any food for wh-" was all he said before receiving a kick to the jaw.

"As long as they're in here, they eat." he said with a dark look on his face.

"What's going on here?" shouted a voice from the stairs. Everyone looked to see Chef Zeff walking down the stairs to see why everyone was yelling.

"Sanji's beating up customers again!" Patty yelled.

"This joker here tried to prevent some customers from eating. What am I supposed to do geezer?" Sanji said as he looked at Zeff with a bored expression.

Zeff walked over before kicking Sanji in the face with his left foot. "Quit picking fights with the customers Sanji!" he said before he turned to Fullbody and kicked him towards the door. "And you, GET OUT OF MY RESTAURANT!" Everyone watched as Fullbody landed like a ragdoll near the door as a marine burst through with a scared look on his face.

"Lieutenant Fullbody. That Krieg pirate has escaped!"

"What?! How can that be? He was on the verge of starvation when we found him three days ago. We haven't fed him yet, so how can he still be moving?" Fullbody screamed as the other customers were muttering in fear about Don Krieg.

"He escaped while we were busy with the fir-" he said before a gunshot went off. The marine fell to the ground, revealing a thin and tired Gin standing in the doorway. Everyone looked at him with expressions ranging from fear to blank as Gin stood there. Luffy looked at Gin as memories of what Gin did to keep Sanji alive came to his mind as he smiled.

'Looks like I have two people from here to recruit.' he thought.

* * *

Hope you liked this chapter. More to come.


	12. Don Krieg

Gin slowly walked toward an empty table, wobbling a bit with hunger before sitting in a chair and putting his feet up onto the table.

"I want food." he said in a grumpy voice.

"Welcome to the Baratie, ya scumbag!" Patty said with mock politeness. "How will you be paying for ya meal?"

"You take bullets?" he asked as he pointed the gun at Patty's head, causing Patty to smash him into the table.

"That's another table you've broken Patty!" Zeff yelled.

"We only take Berris asswipe!" Patty said as he cracked his knuckles. "If ya don't got money, ya don't eat!" Gin's stomach grumbled with hunger, making Patty smirk at him. "Hungry eh?"

"It's gas asshole." Gin mumbled before demanding food. Patty lost his patience with Gin before pounding him into the ground. As this happened, Luffy looked around and stopped when he saw Sanji in the kitchen making food. He smiled as Patty told the customers to enjoy their meals before throwing Gin out the back. Luffy walked out onto the ledge above Gin as he lay there mumbling something. He looked up when Sanji came out with a plate of food and a glass of water and set them down next to him.

"Eat up." Sanji said as he sat down next to the railing. Gin looked at the food with hunger in his eyes before he looked away.

"I don't want your charity. Take it and go." he said. Sanji just looked at him.

"Forget what they said. If someone's hungry, then they're a customer."

"I'm not a customer." Gin said as his stomach roared with hunger. Sanji looked to the sky in deep thought.

"It boggles the mind, the ocean." Sanji said. "How losing your food and water out here can mean death." He looked back at Gin before continuing. "I know what it's like to starve because of the sea more than anyone. If you want to die with dignity, fine. But if you eat and live, won't that give you a chance to fight for your honor in the future?" Gin's eyes widened a bit at those words. Luffy smiled as Gin took the plate and started scarfing down the food.

"Delicious. It's delicious. It's wonderful!" Gin said through his tears as he kept eating. "I'm sorry. I thought that was the end for me. I thought I was gonna die! It's too yummy!"

"It's good huh?" Sanji said with a smile as Luffy laughed before he jumped down and landed on the railing next to them both. "What are you doing kid?"

"Looking for people to join my crew." Luffy said as he looked up at Sanji. "I need a cook for my pirate crew. You wanna join Mister Cook?"

"Huh?" he and Gin said in confusion.

"You're a pirate?" Sanji asked. "Well, don't try anything stupid with this place. The owner's an ex pirate himself."

"A pirate huh?" Luffy asked, remembering what Sanji said about Zeff. Sanji explained that this restaurant was all the geezer needed in life, and that the other chefs were like pirates.

"No wonder this place is so wild." Luffy said.

"Yeah. Not a day goes by that their isn't a fight or arguement going on here. It's gotten so bad that the waiters bailed on us." Sanji continued.

"So, you in or what?" Luffy asked.

"I'll pass. I can't leave this restaurant." Sanji said.

"Really? What reason?" Luffy asked. Sanji blew out some smoke before saying that it wasn't important. Luffy just stared before he smiled. "I see. Sorry, but I don't accept."

"Don't accept? What don't you accept?" Sanji asked in annoyance.

"You're refusal. I need a cook for my pirate ship and I pick you." Luffy said as he crossed his arms.

"What?!" Sanji yelled. "Didn't you hear me? I said no, you Straw Hat bastard!"

"I'll kick your ass if you make fun of my hat!" Luffy yelled. He had this conversation before, but he still didn't like anyone to trash talk his hat.

"Hate to interrupt..." Gin said after eating his meal.

"WHAT?!" they both shouted.

"My name's Gin, a pirate of Don Krieg's fleet. You said you're a pirate kid?" he asked.

"Yeah." Luffy replied, still a little steamed at Sanji.

"What are you after?" he asked.

"One Piece!" Luffy said with a smile. "I'm heading to the Grand Line soon to go after it." He looked on as Gin looked back in utter terror.

"You can't have been searching that long." he said. "If you don't have a cook, your crew can't be that big."

"He's the fifth member." Luffy said as he pointed at Sanji.

"No I'm not!" Sanji yelled.

"Let me give you some advice kid. Stay away from the Grand Line. There are plenty of other places that you can go to." Gin said.

"I know, but One Piece is in the Grand Line, so that's where I'm going." Luffy said. "You sound like you've been there." Gin grew quiet as he stared at the ground while shaking.

"Once." he muttered. "That place...makes no sense! It was nothing but one horror after another there."

"Is that so?" Sanji said.

()()()()

"Man this food is great!" Usopp said as he, Zoro, and Nami were eating inside the restaurant while Johnny and Yosaku ate their meals on the Going Merry so others wouldn't think they were pirates. "I really hope we get a chef from here to join us."

"Yeah. It'd be great." Nami said in a quiet voice. Both of them looked at her as she stood up and left the table.

"Where are you going?" Zoro asked.

"To get some air." she said without even looking back at them. She walked out the doors and went to the back before leaning onto the rails. She sighed as she thought about her home. She remembered how Luffy offered to beat Arlong and save her island and smiled at that. She was truly touched that someone would do something like that for her. She heard sails unfurling as she looked to the left to sea Gin bowing his head at Sanji as the tiny boat he was on sailed away.

"Sanji!" bellowed Zeff. "Get back to work!" he said before he went back into the restaurant.

"Shitty old geezer." Sanji mumbled. While they walked toward the door, Luffy sensed Nami and looked to his left to see her looking back at him.

"Oh. Hey Nami!" Luffy called.

"Who?" Sanji asked as he was about to walk into the door. He looked over to see Nami as well.

"Nami. She's my navigator and friend and...where'd you go?" Luffy said before he looked back to see Sanji presenting a rose to Nami.

"It must be fate that we meet like this Miss." Sanji said.

"Oh...hello." she said in quiet voice before she turned to Luffy. "Friend of yours?"

"He's our new cook." Luffy said with a grin as he walked towards.

"I'm not your cook!" Sanji said before something clicked. "Wait. Our? As in, she's in your crew?"

"Yep." Luffy said. Sanji looked back at her before he closed his eyes.

"Fate is a cruel Mistress. To be so close, yet so far." Sanji said.

"What is he talking about Luffy?" Nami asked.

"He doesn't want to leave the restaurant, but I refused his refusal."

"That doesn't make any sense." Nami said.

"SANJI!" bellowed Zeff's voice from inside the restaurant, snapping Sanji out of his daze.

"Shitty geezer." Sanji mumbled as he walked back into the restaurant. Both Nami and Luffy watched him leave before looking at each other.

"I don't think he'll leave Luffy." Luffy only grinned.

"He will, because we're not leaving until he comes with us."

()()()()

It was awhile after Gin left and Luffy hadn't given up. He would ask Sanji to join and Sanji would refuse. Nami's mood brightened a bit watching Luffy annoy Sanji. Sanji was giving free meals to Nami after she charmed them out of him, which caused the other chefs to yell at him. Zeff and Sanji even got into a fight after Sanji refused to listen to Zeff, who told him to get out of his restaurant. Sanji told him that he wouldn't leave no matter what. This kept happening until a ship appeared on the horizon.

"DON KRIEG!" somebody shouted. Everybody looked out to see a huge galleon bearing Don Krieg's Jolly Roger. Everyone was terrified despite the fact that the galleon looked like it went through a hurricane. The galleon pulled up next to the restaurant as everything seemed to grow quiet. Footsteps could be heard as a huge man was approaching the door. The doors opened to reveal Don Krieg being held up by Gin.

"Please...I need food." Krieg said before he collapsed. Gin was asking them to bring Krieg food and that he had money this time. However, most of the chef's laughed, stating that they knew about his reputation. Krieg was bowing his head, begging for food as Gin cried for him to stop.

"Move Patty." Sanji said as he kicked Patty out of his way before placing some food and drink in front of Krieg, shocking the chefs. As Krieg ate, another chef named Carne told everyone what he knew about Krieg before Krieg finished his food and slammed his drink onto the floor.

"Sanji! DUCK!" yelled Luffy. Sanji looked confused but did anyway, leaving Krieg to swing his arm over Sanji, missing him completely before he stood up. Everyone looked back at Krieg before the customers ran out of the restaurant as Krieg looked at Luffy and Sanji.

"Nice reflexes cook." he said.

"Don Krieg! Why did you attack him?" Gin asked in shock before Krieg hurt his shoulder and dropped him to the floor as he eyed the restaurant.

"This is a nice ship. I'll take it." Krieg said with a grin. "My old ship is on the verge of sinking, so I'll be needing a new one. As for you cooks, get my men some food. I've got 100 men starving over there, so hop to it." Sanji started walking towards the kitchen, only for all the other chefs to block his path. Patty knocked Sanji to the ground before pulling out a shellfish looking cannon and shot at Krieg, asking if he wanted dessert. The smoke cleared, showing a pissed off Krieg before he stated that the dessert was terrible. He then pulled out a bunch of weapons from under his wootz steel armor and fired on the cooks. After he was finished, he began to rant about how his weapons and manpower made him the strongest.

"The strongest huh?" Luffy asked as he was shoving his face with food that the customers left in their panic. Everyone looked at him as some sweatdropped.

"How can you eat when Don Krieg is threatening to kill everyone here?!" one of the cooks shouted. Luffy just looked at them all with his cheeks puffed out with food.

"Simple." Luffy said before swallowing. "It's because I'm not scared of Krieg or his crew." Everyone froze as stiff as statues for what felt like forever.

"E...eh...EEEHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!?" came from almost everyone on the ship. Krieg, however, looked pissed at his statement. He was about to show Luffy why he should fear him, but was stopped when a big bag was placed in front of him by Zeff.

"That's 100 meals worth of food." Zeff said. "Take it and leave." This caused the chefs to ask why Zeff gave him food.

"You're...Red Leg Zeff?!" Krieg said in quiet shock as Zeff turned and walked away. The other chefs asked why he did when that would give them the strength to fight.

"Maybe...but will it give them the will to fight?" he asked before he looked back at Krieg. "Well? Did your will survive defeat?" Krieg just stared at him as the other chefs realized what he said.

"Not even he could do it." Carne said in disbelief. "A fleet of fifty ships couldn't get through the Grand Line. Krieg's eyes widened and became bloodshot in realization that Zeff was alive. Zeff said that was correct, but he chose the life of a cook. Krieg laughed before he explained what he knew about Zeff. How his kicks turned bedrock to dust or left footprints in solid steel. How he got the name 'Red Leg' or 'Red Foot' due to his enemies blood coating his shoes. He then said it was a pity that Zeff couldn't fight anymore since he lost his leg.

"I don't need to fight. I'm a cook. As long as I have my two hands, I'll be fine. Enough talking. What is it that you want?" Zeff said. Krieg stated his desire: Zeff's logbook. Luffy asked if Zeff sailed on the Grand Line, which he knew the answer was yes. Zeff confirmed Luffy and Krieg's questions, saying that he did have a logbook of his time on the Grand Line. He also refused to give it to Krieg, stating that it was the pride of the crew he sailed with and too important to give to him. Krieg didn't like this answer at all.

"Then I'll take it by force!" Krieg stated. He went to tell them how the Grand Line did beat him, but he wouldn't give up. That he lost due to lack of knowledge about the Grand Line. That with Zeff's logbook, he'll have the information to find the One Piece and conquer the Grand Line.

"No way!" Luffy said as he walked between them all and declared loudly. "The one who will be King of the Pirates is me!" Everyone was looking at him with mixed reactions.

"Hey, back off before you make things worse kid!" Patty yelled.

"Not a chance!" Luffy said with a grin.

"What did you say kid?" Krieg asked annoyed. "I'm not in the mood for your idiocy."

"I don't care. I'm just telling you the truth." Luffy said without a trace of doubt.

"This isn't a game." Krieg said.

"I know it isn't. I'm dead serious about conquering the Grand Line." Luffy said, finally causing Krieg to lose his patience.

"Enough!" he shouted. "I lost 50 ships and almost all 5,000 of my crew after only seven days. That sea is a nightmare!"

"What? One week?!" Patty screamed.

"I'm tired of hearing you spout nonsense boy." Kried said. "If you want, I'll kill you on the spot." Luffy remained quiet as Krieg bared his hidden weapons again. Krieg then spotted Zoro and Usopp before laughing about how small his crew is.

"I've got two other members." Luffy said, causing Sanji to yell that he wasn't a part of his crew. Instead of attacking, Krieg left to feed his men, stating that he would take the ship when he did, and that if they valued their lives, they better leave. After he did, Gin began to apologize to Sanji, saying that he didn't think Krieg would do this.

"You've got no reason to apologize sailor." Zeff said, shocking the cooks. "Every cook here did what they thought was right." The other cooks started asking why he was taking Sanji's side and how it was Sanji's fault that Krieg was after the restaurant.

"YOU FOOLS DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT!" Zeff shouted. He then went on to say how they didn't know what kind of horrible pain it is to starve. "The difference between you all and Sanji is that Sanji knows." The chefs began to wonder what he meant before Zeff spoke again. "If complaining is all you'll do, then get out." All the chefs went silent for a moment before claiming that they would stay and fight. That the Baratie was the only place they had left. Gin was asking if they lost their minds, only for Sanji to reply that now that they've been fed, he had no problem killing them. While Sanji was speaking to the other cooks, Luffy turned to Gin.

"What happened out there Gin?" he asked, getting Gin's attention. "On the Grand Line." Gin just stared at the floor as he told them what he saw. On the seventh day of their voyage, they came across a single man who, one by one, sunk Krieg's entire fleet. Needless to say, everyone was freaking out at this news. Gin then explained it was only due to a freak storm did their flagship escape.

"His eyes...sharp and murderous...were like that of a hawk." Gin said. Luffy heard Zoro react to those words as Zeff said that it could only be Hawk-Eye.

"Hawk-Eye Mihawk!" Zoro gasped.

"Sounds strong." Luffy said. "Is that someone you know Zoro?" Zoro calmed down a bit to tell them that Hawk-Eye was the man he was looking for. While everyone was talking, Luffy thought back to when Zoro and Hawk-Eye fought, which ended with Zoro losing badly. He then remembered how Hawk-Eye nearly killed him at Marineford and how good with the blade he really was. He was brought out of his thoughts when Usopp asked if they really had to go to the Grand Line. He looked back at him with a grin. "Of course we're going." he said as Zoro said that he would finally fight his rival. Sanji just told them all that they're stupid, and that idiots like them that wind up dead. While Zoro told them off, Luffy was cracking his knuckles and walking out toward the galleon.

"Hey, where are you going kid?" Gin asked.

"To fight Krieg. What else?" Luffy said.

"Are you crazy?!" Gin yelled. "Have you not seen how strong Don Krieg is?!"

"I have." Luffy said. "But he hasn't seen how strong I am." He then looked Gin straight in the eye. "Besides, I told you before, didn't I? I'm not afraid of any Krieg pirate." Gin just stared in shock, while Zeff smirked at Luffy's confidence. Everyone looked back at the galleon as they heard Krieg's men roar to life with energy. They were about to attack, only for Krieg's ship to be cut in half. Everyone was freaking out as Krieg shouted out his disbelief at what was happening. Zeff ordered someone to raise the anchor before they sunk with it. While this happened, Zoro and Usopp came out to check up on the ship, only to see Yosaku and Johnny floating in the water and crying.

"What happened?" Zoro asked. "Where's the ship?"

"I'm sorry Big Bro." Johnny said. "Big Sis Nami. She..."

"Took the ship and treasure and sailed away!" Yosaku yelled. While Zoro and Usopp yelled out in disbelief and anger at Nami, Luffy just stared off at the ship in the distance, faintly picking up on Nami with his haki.

"Nami..." Luffy muttered with a sigh. He knew why she did it, so he couldn't get angry at her. He turned to Johnny and asked where his and Yosaku's boat is.

"It's moored to the restaurant."

"Zoro. You and Usopp go after her." Luffy ordered.

"Why? Let her keep the ship. It's not worth it to keep that witch." Zoro said in annoyance. Luffy calmly stared at the far off Merry.

"She has her reasons." he said in a calm voice. Zoro just looked at him like was crazy, but agreed.

"Fine. But what about you?" Zoro asked.

"I'm gonna stay and fight these guys." Luffy said. "I like Pops here, so I'm gonna help them out." Before they could set sail, some of the Krieg pirates were freaking out.

"Don Krieg! That man is back!"

"He's come back to finish the job!"

"What? He followed us?!" Krieg shouted. Everyone turned towards the sea to see a tiny raft with two candles, each burning with an eerily green flame, sailing towards them. Even Zeff looked surprised at the sight of him as everyone saw his eyes. Yellow, cold, and murderous.

"It's him." Zoro said in shock. "He's here...Hawk-Eye!"

Sorry if it sounds a lot like the anime. Couldn't think of many things to change. Hope you like it.


	13. Zoro Vs Mihawk And Zoro's Vow

Everyone was speechless, nay, petrified at the sight of Mihawk's tiny vessel. As it came closer, one of the Krieg pirates asked what they did to him to deserve this.

"Just killing time." Mihawk answered.

"BASTARD!" yelled a pirate as he aimed his pistols and shot at Mihawk. Mihawk simply pulled out his black sword and, with almost no effort, deflected the bullets with the tip of his blade before resheathing it. "What? I missed? How?"

"He changed their course with the tip of his blade." Zoro said as he appeared behind the pirates. He walked forward while they eyed his three swords.

"Three swords? You can't be..."

"Never have I seen a sword handled so gently, or with such grace." Zoro said. Mihawk didn't move but turned his eyes to Zoro.

"Brute force isn't true strength in swordplay." Mihawk said.

"That same sword was used to cut this ship?" Zoro asked.

"Correct." Mihawk replied.

"Then it's true. You're the best." Zoro said. "I set out to sea for one purpose only. To meet you." he said as he untied the bandana from his arm.

"For what reason?" Mihawk asked.

"To defeat you." he said as he tied his bandana to his head.

"How foolish." Mihawk said with a smirk. Zoro unsheated Wado and pointed it at Hawk-Eye.

"You're not doing anything now. Let's go." he said. By now, all the pirates knew who he was.

"The pirate hunter eh?" Krieg said.

"He's a what?" Sanji asked, looking a bit surprised.

"You're a weak fool." Mihawk said before he lept over to the floating piece of ship that Zoro was standing on. "If you're a competent swordsman, you should understand the difference between us even before you drew your blade. Why do you challenge me? Bravery, or stupidity?"

"My dream!" Zoro said as he place Wado between his teeth and drew his two other swords. "That, and a promise I plan to fulfill." Patty began to speak about the clash between them, while Yosaku and Johnny cheered on about how Zoro was unbeatable and already the strongest. Luffy remained quiet as he knew how this would turn out. Mihawk then took the tiny golden cross from his neck and unsheathed the tiny blade inside, angering Zoro.

"What do you plan to do with that?" Zoro asked.

"This is more than enough. After all, you wouldn't kill a fly with a cannon, would you?" Hawk-Eye said before apologizing that he didn't have any blades smaller than that.

"You're gonna regret that." Zoro said as he ran toward Hawk-Eye. "DIE!"

"You have no idea how big the world is!" Mihawk said as Zoro charged.

"ONIGIRI!" he shouted as he brought his blades to strike. Luffy didn't react at all as Mihawk stopped all of Zoro's blades in mid-strike. "W-what?!" Zoro said through clenched teeth. He and everyone around were stunned at the sight.

"Big Bro Zoro's attack was stopped by Mihawk?" Johnny shouted.

"No way!" Yosaku yelled. "That attack's never failed before!"

'No way!' Zoro thought. 'I can't move my blades! How is this possible?!' he thought before he screamed out "I AM NOT THAT FAR BEHIND THE BEST!" And just like last time, he swung his swords wildly at Hawk-Eye, who parried and dogded each and every strike. Luffy watched as Johhny and Yosaku yelled out to him.

"You're just messing with him? Right Big Bro?" Yosaku asked, unable to believe what he was seeing.

"Big Bro!" Johnny called out in tears.

"You cannot be that much better than me!" Zoro yelled as he attacked again.

"Such violent swordsmanship." Mihawk said as he blocked another attack. This continued on before Mihawk dodged an attack and, with the side of his hand, hit Zoro in the back of the neck, nearly rendering him unconcious. Zoro struggled to stay in the fight, even though he could barely see. He fumbled toward Mihawk in an attempt to attack, only for Mihawk to step out of the way for Zoro to fall. He lay there, gasping for breath, as Mihawk looked at him with a slightly curious gaze.

"What weight do you carry upon your shoulders weakling?"

"WEAKLING?!" Johnny and Yosaku shouted as they went for there swords, saying they'd teach him a lesson for speaking about Zoro that way. They were about to jump, but noticed a hand on their shoulders, keeping them from moving. They looked back to see it was Luffy keeping them in place.

"This is Zoro's fight." Luffy said as he kept a hardened stare at Zoro's fight. "Stay right where you are."

"I refuse," Zoro said as he stood up. "To be defeated!" He then readied his swords again as the world around him seemed to fade. All he could hear was his heartbeat. At that moment, Luffy's words played out in his head.

'Greatest Swordsman huh? Got it. And it suits me just fine. King of the Pirates should only have the best on his crew.'

"TIGER..." Zoro shouted before Hawk-Eye lunged forward, piercing Zoro's chest right above his heart. Zoro's arms fell as blood trickled out of his mouth.

"You've lost, yet you won't step back. Why?" Mihawk asked.

"Dunno." Zoro said. "But...I will not run! If I took so much as one step back, then I'd lose everything that made me what I am right now, including my pride. Without that, I'm nothing."

"That is defeat."

"I refuse defeat."

"Then you get death."

"I prefer death!" Zoro said without hesitation.

'Such strong conviction.' Mihawk thought before he pulled his knife from Zoro's chest and resheathed it. "State your name."

"My name...Roronoa Zoro." Zoro said as he pulled his swords up to make some sort of triangle.

"I'll remember it." Mihawk said as he pulled out his black sword. "It's been some time since someone as strong as you faced me. As a swordsman courtesy, I'll end you with the world's strongest black blade."

"I appreciate it." Zoro said as Johnny and Yosaku begged him to stop, which he ignored. 'This is it.' he thought. 'The greatest...or death.' He then began to spin his swords around in front of him. "Three Sword Style: Secret Technique."

"FALL!" Mihawk said as he dashed towards him.

"THREE THOUSAND WORLDS!" Zoro said as Mihawk ran past him. Both stayed motionless for a moment until the swords in Zoro's hands shattered and a slash came across his chest as he fell to his knees.

"BIG BRO!" screamed Johnny and Yosaku.

'I lost.' Zoro thought as he took his white sword from his mouth and resheated it. 'So this is the strength of the best.' He turned to face Mihawk and held his arms out wide.

"Hmm?" Mihawk said in confusion. Zoro mearly looked up with a smile.

"Wounds on the back are a swordsman's shame."

"Fine." Mihawk said with a smirk before he slashed at Zoro. All was calm, then blood erupted from Zoro's chest as he fell to the sea.

"ZOOOOROOOOOOO!" Luffy screamed as some of his haki escaped from him, causing a few around them to faint while the rest felt shivers down their spines. However, everyone thought it was from seeing the infamous Zoro being slashed open. Hawk-Eye could feel Luffy's Haki though as he motionlessly eyed Luffy.

'That power...something is strange about that kid.' Mihawk thought before he said that Zoro shouldn't rush these things. Usopp, Johnny, and Yosaku screamed Zoro's name. Johnny and Yosaku dived for Zoro as Sanji stared.

'Why would he do something that stupid?' Sanji thought. 'He should've known he was outclassed. Why didn't he run?' "DON'T BE A FOOL! STOP DREAMING AND LIVE!" he shouted.

"You bastard!" Luffy said in a low tone as he shook. He knew this would happen, but the sight of Zoro being hurt brought back horrible memories of losing his friend to the marines all over again. He vanished before appearing next to Hawk-Eye with a deadly look in his eye. Everyone just stared at Luffy's disappearing, reappearing 'trick.'

'Conqueror's Haki...from a man in the East Blue?' thought Mihawk. 'Most definitely not an ordinary man.' "Are you the young warrior's comrade?" he asked Luffy. "I'm impressed with you for not interfering. Fear not, your friend is alive." Luffy calmed down at those words as he turned to look and see Johnny and Yosaku fish Zoro out of the water.

"Zoro!" Luffy called. Zoro coughed up blood as Johnny and Yosaku pulled him to a boat with Usopp waiting with some medicine.

"It is still far too early for you to die." Mihawk said. "My name is Dracule Mihawk! You're strong, but you still have a long way to go. No matter the years, I'll hold this title as the greatest swordsman and wait for you. Hone your skills until that day, then seek me out, RORONOA ZORO!" Everyone stared as Zeff said that not just anyone could earn Hawk-Eye's regards. Mihawk then turned to Luffy. "What is your goal boy?"

"To be the King." Luffy said without hesitation.

"That's quite a goal." Mihawk said with a smile. "One even more challenging than defeating me."

"Let me worry about that." Luffy said as he stuck his tongue out at him like before. He turned to the boat again as Usopp shouted that Zoro is alive and was just out cold. Johnny and Yosaku were yelling at him to say something. "Zoro!" Luffy yelled. He then saw Zoro's white sword being pointed into the air.

"Luffy...can you hear me?" Zoro said in a pained gasp.

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry for disappointing you." he said. "I know you need nothing but the best swordsman in the world. I've let you down. Please forgive me." Luffy just stared in surprise. Even though he heard it before, Zoro's vow had the same impact as before. "Until the day comes, when I beat that man and take his title," Zoro continued, with Mihawk smiling at the sound of a challenge. "I vow...to never be defeated by anyone ever again! Is that okay with you?!" Zoro screamed as tears fell from his eyes. "KING OF THE PIRATES?!"

Luffy smiled at all that. "Yep."

"You're a very good team." Mihawk said as he walked toward his boat. "I hope our paths cross again one day."

"Hey Mihawk!" Krieg shouted with a cocky grin. "I thought you were here for my head. Weren't you here to kill Don Krieg? Ruler of the East Blue?"

"It crossed my mind," Mihawk said without looking back. "But I've had enough fun for one day. I'm going home to rest."

"Funny." Krieg said as he cracked his neck. "I haven't had enough!" His men were shouting at him to reconsider, but he ignored it as he pulled out his arsenal from his armor and attack Mihawk. "DIE!"

"You don't learn, do you?" Mihawk asked as he grabbed his sword. He took a final look at Luffy before the explosion from the attack sent a pillar of water into the air. 'That boy,' he thought as he disappeared from the area. 'Quite dangerous indeed.'

"Missed." Krieg said with a grin. Luffy was on the Baratie with all the cooks as his crew was on the small boat.

"Usopp!" Luffy shouted. "Go on ahead! I'll leave Nami to you!"

"You got it!" Usopp yelled as he waved his hands around. "Zoro and I will get her back, so don't worry. Just get that cook to join us! Then, we can all set sail for the Grand Line!"

"Got it!" Luffy said as Usopp and company sailed off after Nami. The Krieg pirates were getting ready to attack as Zeff looked at Luffy.

"Not going with your friends boy?" he asked.

"I've got unfinished business here." Luffy said with a grin.

"So, you said you aim to be King of the Pirates?" Zeff asked.

"That's right." Luffy said.

"I've seen many pirates in my day." Zeff said with a smirk. "But you're the first to state your desire with a doubt."

"Yeah. I heard you were once a great pirate. Did you aim for One Piece as well?"

"I tend to not think of the past." Zeff said as he looked to the sky. "I'm the owner of the Baratie now, and that's good enough for me." Luffy smiled at that before he turned to the Krieg pirates.

"PIRATES! ATTACK!" Krieg shouted. His men then charged toward the restaurant. Luffy flung them all back like last time with his Gum-Gum Giant Scythe attack, freaking everyone out. Luffy hung onto a mast as he looked down at them all.

"Attacking the ones who fed you? That's rude of you guys." Luffy said as Sanji told a chef to do something. The chef ran into the restaurant before the whole place shook. Just then, something came out of the water, freaking the pirates out. After a moment, they saw that it was the fins, a giant wooden deck, for them to fight on.

"We won't let you pirates take this restaurant!" Sanji shouted as the other cooks cheered behind him. "You won't even set foot inside!" Krieg was smiling though.

"Actually, this is perfect. I don't want any damage to come to my new ship." Krieg said. Just then, the fish head on the restaurant seperated from the rest and starting swimming towards Krieg as it shot cannon fire from its mouth. Patty and Carne were aiming to take Krieg out with their weapon, but it proved futile. Krieg, using his strength alone, heaved and tossed the fish towards the cooks. Sanji jumped and kicked it away from the restaurant, leaving it to crash into the fins. Patty and Carne jumped out of the wreckage before yelling at Sanji for almost killing them. The Krieg pirates jumped onto the fins and brawled with the chefs. The chefs lost due to overwhelming numbers.

"We're the Krieg pirates. No way we'd lose to a bunch of stupid cooks." one of them said before being knocked out by Patty. He and Carne began to take out the pirates, but were stopped by another man who came out of the water.

"I am Pearl! The Invicible Shield!" he said as another Krieg pirate tried to take Patty's knife, enraging Sanji into kicking him away.

"A chef's knife is his soul." Sanji said before giving the knife back to Patty. The pirates then rushed Sanji, who took care of them all with his kicking fighting style. Pearl mocked him for fighting like that.

"A chef is nothing without his hands, so I'll use my feet to deal with you." Sanji said as he raised a leg.

"Is that so?" Pearl said with mock interest. "I've fought in 61 battles and have won each without a scratch. Not one drop of my blood has been spilled." While he rambled on, Krieg attacked Luffy with a giant spiked ball. Luffy got hit, but wasn't hurt, and smacked into Pearl, giving him a noseblood.

"Phew, that was close." Luffy said as Pearl stared at the blood.

"Blood...my blood!" Pearl whispered. "These guys...are nuts!"

"Pearl, calm down. It's just a nosebleed!" one of the pirates said as others tried to keep Pearl calm.

"He's crying over a nosebleed?" Sanji said in a bored tone as Luffy picked his nose.

"Weirdo."

"DANGER! DANGER!" Pearl shouted as he started banging the shields in his hands together before setting himself on fire. "DANGEEEER!" A wall of fire surrounded him, keeping others away as his own men were trying to put the fire out on their limbs. While that happened, Sanji had jumped over the wall of fire, spooking Pearl.

"What?! But this fire scares everyone away!" Pearl cried.

"If I was afraid of fire, I couldn't be a cook." Sanji said with a smirk.

"Pearl! Calm down! You're gonna burn my new ship!" Krieg yelled. Pearl shot some fire pearls towards the Baratie, but they were snuffed out when Zeff used his peg leg to kick up a gust of wind at them.

"He put those fire pearls out with a kick!" one of the Krieg pirates yelled. Krieg pulled out his ball and chain again and flung it at Pearl and Sanji to get Pearl's flames to die down. Sanji and Pearl looked horrified, but were saved when Luffy jumped up toward it and knocked it away, hitting another mast, which came down on Pearl's head, knocking him and the flames out.

"That was close." Luffy said as he dusted himself off.

"Knocking that spiked ball back," Sanji said is slight awe. "How strong are you kid?"

"Stronger than you think." Luffy said with a smile. It vanished however when they both heard Zeff grunt and looked to see him pinned to the floor with Gin pointing a gun at his head.

"Move and he dies." Gin said. Everyone saw this as the Krieg pirates cheered. "You should've just left the ship. Why won't you go?" Sanji only stared down at Zeff.

"What are you doing down there geezer?" Sanji said. He and Zeff insulted each other before Sanji looked at Gin. "Point that at me Gin. Leave Zeff out of this."

"I can't do that Sanji." Gin said. "I'm sorry, but this is how we fight."

"Precisely." Pearl said as he woke from his 'nap' and stared at Sanji and Luffy. "Now, I think it's time for a little payback." Krieg was laughing from his destroyed galleon at the scene.

"Gin, if they fight back, kill Zeff." Krieg yelled. Gin nodded, but kept his eyes on Sanji and Luffy.

'Please Sanji. Just let us take the ship.' Gin thought. 'I don't want to have to kill Zeff.' Pearl was getting ready to attack Sanji, but Luffy pushed him out of the way.

'You're gonna need your full strength Sanji.' Luffy thought as he stood to take Pearl's attack.

"It doesn't matter which one I hit. You're both going to die!" he yelled as he brought his shielded hand toward Luffy. It hit luffy straight in the head but, to everyone's shock, Luffy stood still as the shield broke into pieces.

"Iron Body." Luffy whispered to himself.

"WHAT?!" the Krieg pirates yelled.

"He-he was hit by Pearl but didn't even flinch!"

"How'd that happen?!"

"My-MY SHIELD!" Pearl screamed with bloodshot eyes. He then glared at Luffy in anger. "YOU MONSTER!" he shouted as he hit Luffy with his other shield, only for it to shatter as well. Krieg was grinding his teeth while Gin just looked on in shock.

'That kid's beating Pearl and not even lifting a finger?' Gin thought.

"Gin! Blow Zeff's head off right now!" Krieg yelled, snapping him out of his thoughts. Gin looked down.

"But...Don...they gave us food when we were starving."

"I SAID KILL HIM!" Krieg bellowed.

"Gin! Aim that gun at me!" Sanji shouted.

"Why...Why couldn't you just leave Sanji?" Gin asked, unable to do anything as he fought between obeying his captain and sparing the man who feed his crewmates. "It's nothing but a ship."

"This ship is everything to that old man!" Sanji yelled. "It's all he has left. I won't let anything else be taken from him." Sanji then explained how he met Zeff. How that storm stranded them on that rock in the middle of nowhere. How Zeff gave Sanji all the food they had, which lasted about 20 days, and how they were left there for months on end, and how Zeff sacrificed his leg to save him. "If I don't risk my life, I can never repay that old man."

"ENOUGH!" shouted Luffy as he raised his leg to the sky. Everyone saw this as Luffy brought it back down.

"NO! HE'LL KILL ZEFF!"

"GUUUM GUUUUUUM BATTLE AXE!" Luffy shouted as he shattered the fin.

A/N: Finally got a job, so updates might be a little slower. Hope you like this chapter.


	14. Gin's Conviction

Everyone just stared at what Luffy had done. One of the fins was now broken up and floating in the sea. Luffy just stood there smiling while everyone was looking at him in shock. Krieg was the first to react.

"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR GIN?!" he yelled. "KILL ZEFF ALREADY!" Gin however seemed reluctant to. As Gin struggled with himself, Sanji came up to Luffy with an angered look.

"What are you doing?!" he yelled. "Why are you attacking the restaurant?!"

"Why are you angry? All I broke was the fin." Luffy said before he grinned. "But I'll sink the restaurant next.

"WHAT?!" everyone but Zeff said.

"NO WAY! You will not sink this restaurant!" Sanji yelled. "I owe everything to her! It's all Zeff has left!"

"So you're going to die for a dumb restaurant? Are you stupid?" Luffy asked. "Getting killed is how you'll repay the old man for all he's done? The old man didn't save you to kill yourself. He saved you so you could do something with your life! Not die like a fool!"

"So you're helping them out?!" Sanji yelled back. Before he could go on, a banging noise got everyone's attention as Pearl had taking the shields from his knees and were now hitting them together.

"I've had enough of you two!" he screamed as he set himself on fire again. "This time, I'll burn you both until not even ashes remain!" He then charged at the both of them. Luffy was ready to take him out again, but stopped when Gin ran in front of him and smashed Pearls shield, taking him out for good.

"Move it Pearl." Gin said as Pearl fell to the deck. Everyone stared in shock at Gin for taking out his own crewmate. Luffy just gave a blank stare as Krieg snarled.

"What is the meaning of this Gin?" Krieg shouted. "First you disobey my orders, and now you're taking out your own shipmates? Have you lost your mind?!"

"I know that Don. I'm sorry." Gin said. "But Sanji saved my life. The least I can do is take him out myself. I owe him that much. Please Don." Krieg stared at Gin before he sat down on the wreckage of his ship.

"Fine." Krieg said. "You take out that cook and the kid in the straw hat." The Krieg pirates then started yelling about how Gin was Chief Commander of Krieg's armada. How he was a strong, cold hearted monster.

"Look Sanji, I didn't want the ship damaged, but it's too late for that. All I'm doing is following orders."

"I see." Sanji said before he lit a cigarette. "But if you want this restaurant, then you're gonna have to kill me first."

"Sounds fair." Gin said. "It'll be an honor...my friend."

"Thanks, you bastard." Sanji said as he blew out some smoke. Gin then looked at Luffy.

"You too kid." Gin said. Luffy only smiled as he crossed his arms.

"What makes you think you can kill me?" he asked. Gin narrowed his eyes as the Krieg pirates started yelling insults.

"How dare you talk like that to us!"

"Crush him into dust Gin!"

"Show him why we Krieg pirates are the strongest in the East Blue!" Luffy just looked at them all.

"Only because you outnumber everyone else." he said. All the Krieg pirates wanted to object, but knew they couldn't deny the truth.

"They look angry." Sanji said with a smirk.

"So what?" Luffy said. "How are they getting stronger if all they do is add more crewmates?" Gin raised an eyebrow at this while the other Krieg pirates started rushing in to attack Luffy.

"STOP RIGHT THERE!" Krieg shouted. All the pirates stopped as Krieg told them it was pathetic to get riled up at a few words. He then ordered Gin to kill them.

"Yes Don." Gin said before looking back at Sanji. He began to swing his tonfa around before he and Sanji began to fight. He missed Sanji, smashing his weapon into the deck while Sanji aimed a kick at his side. He dodged it before slamming his tonfa down on Sanji's neck, pinning him to the floor. "Nothing personal Sanji. Die!" He then attacked, but Sanji spat his cigarette in his face before sliding away and kicking Gin in the head. Gin held onto his weapon as he smashed it into Sanji's side. Sanji was flung away by the attack, but got back to his feet before they went at each other again.

While this happened, Luffy was calmly walking along the fallen mast towards Krieg. Krieg saw him before he smirked. "Where do you think you're going brat?" he asked.

"Sanji can handle Gin." Luffy said as he looked at Krieg. "So I'm gonna kick your ass Krieg."

"Big words from a wimp like you." Krieg said.

"GIN!"

"SANJI!"

Both Luffy and Krieg looked back to see both fighters bleeding and breathing heavily.

'Looks like Sanji's holding his own against Gin.' Luffy thought. Without Pearl attacking Sanji like last time, he stood a better chance.

Gin started swinging his tonfa again before he attacked again. He missed as Sanji did a handstand and kicked Gin in the back. Gin stumbled forward a bit but held his ground as he looked back at Sanji. He tightened his grip on his weapons as he narrowed his eyes before spinning them again. He charged and aimed his balled tonfa at Sanji's head. Sanji jumped back, but found out too late that it was a ruse as Gin used the momentum to aim a his other tonfa at Sanji's side, nailing his in the ribs. Sanji was coughing up blood, but managed to stay on his feet.

"Sanji!" Luffy yelled.

'Shit.' thought Sanji. 'Another attack like that and I'm screwed.'

'Why couldn't you just stay down Sanji?' Gin thought. 'If you had, I wouldn't have to kill you.' He sighed before he spun his weapon again, determined to end this.

"Finish him off Gin!" Krieg ordered. Gin eyes were covered in shadow before he charged at Sanji. He swung downward, aiming for Sanji's legs to secure victory. Luffy looked at the fight to see how it ended. Gin attacked, but missed and left himself open to Sanji. Everyone was shocked except Luffy, who just smiled under his hat. At the last second, Gin twisted his hand slightly and deliberately missed. Sanji took this chance to swing around and put everything he had into one final kick into the back of Gin's head. Gin's head smacked into the deck before his eyes turned white and blood spurt from his mouth.

'Don,' Gin thought as he slowly fell to the deck. 'I'm sorry...No one ever showed me any kindness...I can't do it. I can't kill him.' He then fell to the deck, half concious, and bleeding as his weapons fell from his hands. He struggled to get back up, but only succeeded in turning over and lying on his back. Everyone was stunned by Gin's defeat, while Gin had tears falling down his face. Not for losing, but because he couldn't live with himself if he killed Sanji.

"No way." a pirate mumbled.

"Gin...lost?" another asked. It was silent for a moment, but that ended when the chef's cheered.

"HA! See that pirates!" Patty yelled.

"This is our restaurant!" Carne added. Luffy smiled while the Krieg pirates couldn't help but stare on in shock. Krieg eyes were shadowed as veins started sticking out of his neck and on his forehead.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING GIN?!" Krieg bellowed, shutting everyone up. Gin turned an eye toward Krieg from where he lay. "LOSING TO A COOK?! HOW DARE YOU HUMILIATE US LIKE THIS!" Other pirates were yelling as well.

"Come on Gin! Get up!"

"You can't lose to that cook!"

"Don." Gin muttered as his sight blurred in and out of focus on his captain. He then looked over at Sanji, who was also bloody, but standing over him. His then looked at Luffy, who was smiling.

"You're second-in-command of the Krieg pirates! How could one guy beat you?!" a pirate shouted out. Gin's eyes shot open at that statement, but not from anger. He stared, wide-eyed at the sky, for a few moments as the others finally stopped yelling.

"Well?!" Krieg shouted. "What do you have to say for yourself?!" Everyone was quiet, waiting to hear what Gin had to say. It felt like forever before a sound came from Gin as he trembled. It was faint at first, but slowly the sound grew. Gin...was laughing. Everyone stared, completely gobsmacked, at hearing Gin laugh as he lay defeated.

"Is he laughing?" a chef asked.

"Sanji must've kicked him too hard." Luffy asked, just as stunned as everyone else. Krieg was grinding his teeth at this act.

"What's so funny Gin?!" he shouted. Gin laughter died down, but a smile was left on his face as he stared at the sky.

"I'm sorry." he said. "It's just that I asked myself the same question." Everyone looked at him confused before he continued. "When Hawk-Eye destroyed the fleet, I asked myself 'How could one man beat all of us?' I didn't understand it at first, but now it's all so clear."

"What's so clear?" Krieg asked in annoyance.

"Everything." Gin said as he struggled, but finally managed sit up. "Why we lost as bad as we did to Hawk-Eye." He looked at Luffy. "Why that kid doesn't fear us." he then looked at Sanji. "And why Sanji here beat me." Everyone looked at each other, totally lost at what Gin was saying.

"What was it then?" Luffy asked from the mast. Gin looked to the sky again before he sighed.

"Because...were weak." Gin said. Krieg's eyes widened and were bloodshot, while all the pirates had their mouths hanging open in pure shock. The chefs were equally stunned except Zeff, who smirked. Luffy smiled as well while some of the pirates found their voices.

"What do you mean 'We're weak' Gin?"

"How hard did that cook kick you?!"

"We're the Krieg pirates! We're the strongest in the East Blue!"

"HOW DARE YOU!" Krieg shouted so loud that he was on the verge of tearing his own throat. "WHAT EXACTLY MAKES US 'WEAK' THEN?! TELL ME GIN!"

"It's like that kid said." Gin said. "How are we getting stronger if all we do is add more to the crew?" Luffy smiled as Gin gave him an answer. "The answer: We're not." Everyone looked at him in confusion. "If we just keep adding more crewmates, the ones we have won't get any stronger. Right kid?"

"Shishishishi. That's it." Luffy said. Everyone was lost as Krieg had finally had enough.

"SILENCE!" he said. "Did you forget who we are? We're the Krieg pirates! All we'll need is that logbook of Zeff's and the Grand Line is in the bag!"

"No." Gin said. His smiled dropped as he stared at Krieg. "Even with that logbook, nothing will change. All we'll know is what's out there. We'll still be too weak to do anything about it." The other pirates couldn't believe what they were hearing. The most loyal of their crew was disagreeing with their captain.

"You little son-of-a-bitch!" Krieg said as he took one of his shoulder plates and aimed it at them. "If you've lost faith in us, then you're not my Chief Commander anymore! Pirates, out of the way!" The face on the shoulder plate opened its mouth at them all.

"Not the gas!" Gin gasped.

"He's gonna use MH5!" one of the pirates shouted. All the pirates then fished out masks and placed them on their faces. Gin pulled out his own as well.

"Drop that mask!" Krieg shouted. "You're not one of us anymore!" The chefs panicked while Krieg went on. "The only thing that matters in battle is who wins, even if more have to die. Poison Gas is just a means to an end. Victory decides what's right and wrong. No one will hear you complain if you're dead."

"No you don't!" Luffy said as he ran down the mast towards Krieg.

"You're wasting your time kid!" Krieg yelled as he punched the mast, making Luffy lose his footing. Krieg then shot long yellow and green striped spikes at him, but Luffy uses his Iron Body to avoid taking any damage as the spikes bent and dented on impact. Luffy landed next to Gin and Sanji before he looked back at Gin.

"Don't listen to him Gin." he said. "Someone like him isn't worth dying for." Gin looked at Luffy with a blank expression before he looked back at his mask.

"I said drop that mask gin!" Krieg shouted. Gin kept his head down as his eyes were covered in shadows.

"..u. up." Gin mumbled.

"Are you defying me Gin?"

"I SAID SHUT UP!" Gin roared as he raised his head. Everyone stared as he struggled to get up. "Up till now...I've obeyed every order without question...because I truly believed that you could do it. I respected and admired you because I thought you were the strongest. But now...I see I was wrong." The other pirates stared wide eyed at Gin as he narrowed his eyes at Krieg. "If all you think it takes is information and a lot of shipmates, then all you'll be doing is leading us to a slaughter." Gin looked like he was struggling as he tried saying something else, but found his voice caught in his throat. The memories of their loss on the Grand Line and of what had happened today were racing through his head.

"Gin! Stop!" screamed the pirates.

"Have you lost your mind?!"

"If that's all that you're going to do," Gin croaked out before his eyes shot opened and he roared "THEN I'M THROUGH LISTENING TO A COMPLETE DUMBASS LIKE YOU!" Everyone froze as Gin put his mask on. The pirates in terror, the cooks in shock, and Sanji and Luffy in surprise. Krieg however had a calm face.

"Fine." he said. "But when I'm through with you, you're gonna wish you died from the poison. FIRE THE GAS! M...H...5!" he shouted before he shot out the poison gas bomb.


	15. Krieg's Downfall! After Nami!

Everyone panicked as the MH5 flew toward Luffy, Gin, and Sanji. Patty and Carne grab Zeff and ran into the restaurant, while the other cooks and pirates dove under the water.

"Sanji, grab this!" Luffy said as he grabbed a pirate's mask and threw it to Sanji.

"Thanks." Sanji said as he put it on and looked at Luffy before gasping. "Hold it! What about you?!"

"I'll get...oh." Luffy said as he noticed that no one else was there, so all the masks were taken. "Oh well."

"OH WELL?!" Gin said in horror. "That's poison gas! What exactly do you plan to do?!" Luffy only smiled as he looked back at the gas bomb heading towards him.

"Time to die straw hat!" Krieg yelled from behind his mask as the the gas was almost there. Just before the bomb hit, Luffy ran toward the edge of the broken deck and jumped in front of the bomb. He then did something that made everyone's jaws hit the deck.

"AHHHH!" Luffy said as he opened his mouth and caught the bomb in his mouth.

"WHAT?!"

"KID!"

"HE ATE IT?!"

Luffy kept his hands over his mouth as he turned into an oversized balloon, roughly the size of the Baratie as everyone seemed unable to understand why he did that. Luffy fumbled around on his feet before he looked back at Krieg, who started laughing.

"What was that?! You have a death wish or something? That gas will kill you within the hour." Krieg said as he laughed again.

"Wanna bet?" Luffy squeeked out. Then, aiming at Krieg, he exhaled the poison gas right back at Krieg with as much force as a small gale. Krieg held his ground, but was now blinded by the cloud of poison gas all around him. The gas blew away from him, giving him back his sight. He stared at Luffy, gapping really, to see Luffy perfectly okay. Luffy was looking over himself before smiling.

"HOW ARE YOU PERFECTLY FINE?!" all three of them screamed out. The chefs who were watching from the Baratie windows, along with the Krieg pirates with masks, were equally stunned.

"Well, I can't remember when it happened," Luffy said before he hit his chest with his hand. "But somewhere along my life, I became immune to poison." He said before he thought to himself. 'Phil was right. Even my immunity is still intact.' Everyone was staring at Luffy as if he was something that shouldn't exist, yet did. Luffy continued to laugh until it slowed to a stop and he got a serious look in his eyes. "Anyway, time to kick your ass Krieg." Luffy said. He then jumped onto the mast again before running toward Krieg.

"Sorry kid, but your luck has run out." Krieg said as he threw some bombs into the water. The exploded, causing a column of water to shoot upwards between Luffy and Krieg. Krieg then shot more spikes at Luffy through the water, hoping to kill him. He stopped his onslaught of spikes as the water came down, showing an unharmed Luffy who was holding one spike in his hand that was less than an inch from his head. "WHAT?!"

"My luck has run out huh?" Luffy asked with a smile as he flung the spike back at Krieg, knicking his cheek as blood fell. Luffy then started running toward Krieg and stretched his arm out. "GUM GUUUUM!"

"Go ahead and try!" Krieg shouted as he brought out a spiked caped. He smiled, thinking that Luffy couldn't hurt him. He was proven wrong when Luffy's fist collided through the cape and smashed into his face.

"WHAT?!" many of the spectators screamed as everyone was now holding onto their hands at the sight of it. Luffy stood there as Krieg fell to the deck.

"He punched him through those iron spikes?!" a chef yelled.

"Yeah, but look!" another chef said as he pointed at Luffy. "His hand's not even scratched!"

"How'd he pull that off?!"

"I think you have it the other way around Krieg." Luffy said as he stood over Krieg, who was starting to get up. "It's your luck that's run out."

"That kid's crazy." Sanji said from the Baratie. While Krieg was getting up, he remembered something Zeff told him before the battle started. To watch Luffy fight from start to finish. He then looked back at Gin, who watched in awe. He may not be a Krieg pirate anymore, but to see Krieg get hit so easily, he just couldn't fathom it.

"Is that so?" Krieg said before he jammed his shoulder plate into Luffy's chest and fired a cannon at point-blank range. "DIE!" Luffy didn't even bother moving as the smoke cleared, showing Luffy with his right arm raised over towards his left shoulder.

"No thanks." Luffy said before smacking Krieg down with the back of his hand. Krieg lay there in a slight daze as his crew stared in awe and horror.

"He's literally smacking Don Krieg around!" one of them said.

"This can't be happening!"

"You don't think...that kid is stronger do you?" one asked, whiched irked Krieg immensely.

"SHUT UP YOU INSECTS!" Krieg shouted as he stood up. "THERE'S NO ONE STRONGER THAN ME!" He then put his shoulder plates together and turned them into what the Krieg pirates shouted as his ultimate weapon.

"He brought out the Great Battle Spear!" one cheered as the others followed.

"That thing's dangerous!" Gin said as he narrowed his eyes. "It explodes upon impact, and gets stronger depending on how hard you swing it." This worried Sanji, but Zeff remained neutral.

"That kid's toast." Sanji said.

"Nope." Zeff said. "Krieg can bring as many weapons as he wants, yet that kid won't fall, for he doesn't know fear." Both looked confused at what he said.

"Time to die you little shit!" Krieg shouted as he ran toward Luffy and swung towards Luffy's head. A split-second before impact, Luffy used his Iron Body and remained still as an explosion went off. The smoke cleared to show Luffy burned black, but okay. Frustrated, Krieg kept swinging and hitting Luffy with all his strength.

"Stand or fall," Zeff went on. "Life or death, with your very existense on the line, even the smallest hint of fear means death." Sanji and Gin just stared back at Luffy, who hadn't moved an inch. "When that kid fights, not even death scares him. Is it instict? Or a plan? We'll know if he lives."

"WHY...WON'T...YOU...DIE?!" Krieg screamed between swings. He swung again and set off another explosion. Though smoke covered around Luffy, Krieg looked like he was struggling to move. The smoke cleared to show that Luffy had grabbed the tip of the spear with his bare hands and was keeping it completely still, shocking all but Zeff. "What the- let go you turd!"

"I've had enough of this Krieg." Luffy said as he tightened his hold on the spear tip, smashing it with ease.

"MY GREAT BATTLE SPEAR!"

"He broke it?!" Gin said in shock.

"I'm ending this." Luffy said before he shot his arm back, stretching it out far over the ocean before it stopped and pumped, making Luffy's body go red and steam up a bit.

"What the fuck?!" someone screamed as Luffy used Haki on his arm and brought it back at a blinding speed.

"Gum Guuuuum." Luffy said quietly as his fist burst into flames.

"FIRE?!" some of them shouted.

"Finish it?!" Krieg shouted as he raised his spearless bomb stick into the air. "Fool! I am...THE STRONGEST!" He then brought it down towards Luffy's head.

"RED HAWK!" Luffy screamed as his and Krieg's attacks hit in unison, creating a massive explosion on impact.

"DON KRIEG!"

"STRAW HAT!"

Smoke billowed from the sight as everyone watched, wondering what the outcome was. After what felt like hours, the smoke cleared. Krieg's spear had been completely destroyed as he hung over Luffy. His eyes were white, his wootz steel armor shattered, Scorch marks on his back, and Luffy's fist in his gut. Luffy pulled his fist back and stepped away as Krieg fell to his knees, staring blankly into the sky. Luffy put his straw hat back on his head as he walked away from Krieg. Just as he was about to stretch over to the others, he stopped when he heard a gurgling sound coming from behind him.

"DON KRIEG!" the Krieg pirates shouted as Krieg struggled back onto his feet. His eyes were still white as he slowly walked towards Luffy, one step at a time.

"You...fool." he grunted through clenched teeth as he grabbed Luffy's shoulder with his right hand. "I am...Don Krieg...I...am...invincib-" was all he said before blood poured out of his mouth and he collapsed before Luffy. Everyone was quiet as they stared at what happened.

"He...he won...the kid won." a chef said. A few seconds was all it took to sink in before all the chefs cheered.

"THAT KID BEAT DOWN DON KRIEG!"

"THE TERROR OF THE EAST BLUE'S BEEN DEFEATED!"

All the chefs cheered as the Krieg pirates looked on in horror.

"This is a nightmare!" one of pirates yelled.

"Hey!" Luffy yelled, getting everyone's attention. "If you guys still wanna try and take the restaurant, then step up!" Luffy said with a grin, as if daring them to try. All the pirates turned different shades of blue before shouting.

"WE SURRENDER!"

()()()()

Moments later, all the Krieg pirates and Don Krieg himself were floating next to the restaurant.

"So Gin, what do you plan on doing now?" Sanji asked as he stood there with the other chefs, Zeff, and Luffy stood between them all and the restaurant.

"Who knows." Gin said as he stared out at the ocean. "Maybe head to the Grand Line."

"The Grand Line?" Luffy asked.

"Yeah." Gin said as he looked over his shoulder at Luffy. "I don't know why, but after seeing you put everything on the line, I've decided to as well. And this time, I'm not gonna run." Luffy smiled.

"YEAH?!" Patty yelled. "But know one thing you bastard! You ever come here again, we'll kick your ass!"

"YEAH!" screamed the other chefs. Gin just smirked before he turned back to the boat.

"Hey Gin." Luffy said before Gin got on. "If you're going to the Grand Line, why not come with me?" This got everyone's attention as they all stared at him.

"Huh?!" they all said.

"You still plan on being a pirate right? If you're heading to the Grand Line, why not join my crew?"

"Whoa! Hold on kid!" Carne yelled. "After all the crap he put us through, you want him to join your crew just like that?!"

"Yeah." Luffy said, causing all the chefs to fall over.

"You're asking me to join you?" Gin said in equal shock.

"Sure. You're strong, and I need crewmates. What do you say?" Luffy asked. Gin just stared at him before he looked back at the boat. Luffy kept a blank face as the wind gently blew threw. Gin placed a foot onto the edge of the boat before smile crept onto his face and he kicked it off to sail out without him.

"You know what kid?" Gin asked before he looked back at him. "Why not? What have I got to lose?"

"Shishishishi." Luffy laughed as everyone just stared before they heard a growling sound. "I'm hungry." he said, causing almost everyone to fall over. Zeff was laughing however.

"Then come on in. You saved our asses and this restaurant. What better way to pay you back then letting you stuff yourself?"

"YAHOOOO!" Luffy yelled as he practically broke the door down to find a table.

"What have I gotten myself into?" Gin asked as a few beads of sweat fell down his face.

()()()()

After eating his fill, Luffy and Gin went to find Sanji, who was looking out at sea from a balcony.

"Hey Sanji-

"No. I'm not leaving. I'm staying until Zeff recognizes me as a chef." Sanji said without looking at him.

"Hmm. Fine, I give up." Luffy said as he grabbed Sanji by the collar. Sanji shook him off and looked back at him.

"I can't leave yet...but someday I will. That's a promise." Sanji said.

"How about right now?" Luffy asked as Gin just watched them go back and forth.

"It's not the right time...not yet." Sanji said. They all looked out at sea for some time before Sanji mumbled, "There is one place." He then turned to the both of them with a wide smile. "Either of you ever heard of the All Blue?"

"The All Blue?" they asked. Luffy heard it before, but hearing a friend's dream was still nice.

"You've never heard of it?" Sanji asked still smiling. Both Gin and Luffy listened as Sanji told them about this 'miracle sea' that has fish from all the Blues in it. That it was somewhere on the Grand Line and that he'd find it one day. While he talked, Zeff was looking at them all from above with a smile on his face. Sanji kept going on about the All Blue, but stopped when Patty shouted that lunch was served.

"Don't know how they still have food here." Gin said since he saw Luffy eat everything in sight earlier.

"Forget it. Let's eat." Luffy said as the trio left for the kitchen. They walked in, only to find that there were no seats available. They got themselves some food and sat on the floor before starting to eat. As they did, someone asked who made the soup.

"I did." Sanji said. "Good huh?"

"Good?! This slop is good?" Patty yelled. "I'd be amazed if the customers didn't vomit from one taste!"

"What did you say?" Sanji asked with a dark look on his face, which got worse as other chefs said that his soup was horrible. It really got bad when Zeff agreed with the chefs, which caused Sanji to lose it and to start screaming at the geezer. Zeff shocked them when he finally used his hands to strike Sanji, who left in a huff.

"What are you all talking about?" Luffy asked in mock surprise. "The soup's delicious."

"Can't argue with you their...Captain." Gin said. It just felt strange calling someone else captain.

"Of course it is." Zeff said. "Sanji's a great chef. Everyone here does." All the chefs were then saying how great his cooking is. But no matter what we say, that kid's too thick-headed to listen." Luffy ate more soup as Gin listened. "Hey kid. You said you needed a cook for your ship right? I wouldn't ask anyone for this...but can you take that kid with you? To the Grand Line." He smiled as he said that it was Sanji's dream.

"Man boss." Patty said. "You sure made us put up quite the act."

"I thought we were found out because of your bad acting." Carne said.

"My acting?" Patty laughed. "Did you hear how bad you were acting."

"No way." Luffy said. Some of the chefs fell over at that, while Gin had starting choking on his food in surprise.

"What?" Zeff said, now sounding angry. "You said you wanted him to be your ship's cook earlier! What, he not good enough for you?"

"Oh, he's good." Luffy said. "But he wants to stay here and cook for this restaurant. I want him to join, but I won't force him." Luffy then started eating again before slapping Gin's back, making him cough up his food and breathe. Zeff was playing with his moustache as he spoke.

"So unless he agrees to come with, you won't take him huh?" Zeff asked.

"Right. More food please." Luffy said.

"Fair enough. But who knows if that hard-headed twerp will agree to join ya." Zeff said. Luffy asked for more food as his haki picked up on Sanji hanging outside the door. Sanji was trying to light up a cigarette, but failed as he sat with his arms on his knees and his head down.

"I can hear you all, you bastards." Sanji said in a quiet tone. Meanwhile, Luffy, Gin, and the chefs were eating, but were interrupted by something crashing through the wall. Everyone looked to see Yosaku stuck in the mouth of a Panshark, with Sanji underneath them both.

"It's Yosaku." Luffy said in a calm voice. "You come for the food Yosaku?" Luffy asked with a smile.

"Do you even notice the Panshark that has him in his mouth?" Gin asked with a few sweatdrops. Everyone pried Yosaku out of it's mouth before they sent the fish away and gave Yosaku a blanket and some food.

"What are you doing here Yosaku?" Luffy asked. "Weren't you going after Nami?"

"Actually Big Bro, we couldn't catch up to Nami." Yosaku said. "But we did know where she was going. If it's that island, we're gonna need your strength Big Bro Luffy. Where we're going could mean death.

"I know where she's going Yosaku." Luffy said, stunning him a bit. "I also know why she did what she did."

"You...you do?" Yosaku asked.

"Yeah, but it's something she doesn't like to talk about or have in the open." Luffy said, knowing how touchy a subject this was.

"Then we should get going." Yosaku said before he noticed Gin. "Uh, Big Bro Luffy?"

"He's part of my crew now." Luffy explained. "Anyway, let's go." All three were heading out to leave, but were stopped by Sanji, who was leaning against the rails.

"Your dream's crazy kid." he said. "But so is mine. Guess now's the best time to go. Why not start looking right now?" They all looked at him as he turned to them.

"Sanji?" Luffy asked.

"I'll join you on your journey to be King of the Pirates." Sanji said as he looked at him. "I wanna be the cook for your ship, okay? That alright?"

"Yeah, of course!" Luffy yelled with a grin before he and Yosaku started dancing and singing. Gin just stared in utter confusion.

"How can a guy that strong act so...childish?" he asked himself. Sanji turned to the chefs behind them all.

"You all happy now?" he asked grumpily, but he smirked at their faces. "Sorry. I'll go now. And sorry that you had to do some shitty acting."

"You knew?!" Patty yelled.

"I heard everything assholes." Sanji said as he looked at Zeff. "Stomping on my pride huh? Was that all you could think of to get me to leave, you shitty geezer?"

"YOU WANNA FIGHT SANJI?!" Patty yelled before Zeff stopped him.

"I've always hated children." he said. "I've always regretted letting a brat like you live Sanji."

"Tch. Fine. Have fun with your crappy life, ya stupid old man." Sanji said before he turned to the three of them. "I'm gonna get my stuff. Wait for me by the ship." As they got ready to leave, Luffy was packing food for the trip when Zeff approached him, offering him his logbook.

"Thanks, but no thanks pops. That's your adventure in there. I'm going out there to make my own adventure." Luffy said. Zeff smirked before leaving as Luffy was still packing. After some time, all the chefs were outside on the patched up fin as the trio were in the boat, waiting for Sanji so they could depart. Finally, Sanji stood in the doorway with his gear, taking a last look around before walking towards the ship. Patty and Carne attacked him as a last goodbye, to which Sanji took them both out with two kicks and kept walking till he got to the edge of the fin.

"Let's go." he said.

"No goodbyes?" Luffy asked.

"Nah." Sanji said as he was about to get on the boat.

"Sanji!" Zeff called from the balcony, stopping him in his tracks. "Be careful out there kid." Sanji just froze as tears came to his eyes. Luffy gave a soft smile as he remembered what happened next.

"CHEF ZEEEEEEF!" Sanji yelled before spinning around and bowing till his head hit the Baratie's deck. "THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU'VE DONE FOR ME! AND FOR ALL YOUR KINDNESS! I OWE MY LIFE TO YOU OLD MAN! THANK YOU!" Sanji stayed there on the deck crying, which was soon followed by Zeff and all the Chefs on the Baratie.

"WAAAAAAH!" Patty yelled out, getting Sanji's attention. "This is sad!"

"Really sad!" Carne yelled out as well, both with tears in their eyes.

"We're gonna miss you Sanji!"

"This place won't be the same without you!" Everyone was saying how they'd miss him as Sanji's smiled through his tears.

"Rotten words." Zeff said with bloodshot eyes. "Real men should part ways without words, let alone tears." Sanji finally got in the boat after regaining some control.

"LET'S GO! SET SAIL!" Luffy shouted as they unfurled the sails and sailed off. Sanji was still crying as he waved back to them all.

"I'LL SEE YOU ALL AGAIN!" he shouted before smiling. "IT'S A PROMISE, YA CRAZY BASTARDS!" he didn't stop until they couldn't see the Baratie anymore.

()()()()

"The weather's nice." Nami said as she sailed towards her home island. As she stared ahead on the bow of the Going Merry, her mind wandered to her friends that she had just stolen from. "Luffy...everyone." she chocked out as tears started falling from her eyes. "Maybe one day...they'll let me be with them again." She started trembling as she hugged herself. "If I ever meet them again...Bell-mere."

'_Why don't I help you?'_

Nami froze. Time felt like it stopped as she stared on at the ocean.

_'You've seen how strong I am Nami.'_

Nami fell to her knees as bottom lip quivered.

_'I can beat him.'_

"Luffy..." was all she said before she cried her heart out to the heavens.

* * *

A/N: Sorry if it seems a little rushed. I wanted to get past this arc, and I felt like I was taking forever. Don't remember if I spelled her mother's name right. Hope you all enjoy.


	16. Arlong Park

It was some time later as the four of them sailed to where Nami was. Luffy was jumping around on the tiny boat, Yosaku was looking blue in the face at where they were going, Sanji was sitting and getting annoyed at Luffy running around, and Gin was thinking of what was going to happen next.

"Will you sit down Luffy?" Sanji said. Luffy sat down at the bow of the ship again before turn to them all.

"So how much longer till we get there again Yosaku?" Luffy asked. Yosaku looked up at him.

"Quite a while." he said before he pointed at them all. "But still, you guys aren't taking this seriously! You said that you knew where Nami was going, and why she betrayed you, correct?!"

"Yeah." Luffy said.

"Then you should also know that the place we're going to is ruled by Arlong!" he said.

"Yeah. Nami told me about him." Luffy said as his hat covered his eyes.

"What do you know about him?" Gin asked.

"That he's a fishman, a pirate, and worth twenty million berris." Yosaku said.

'20 million?' Gin thought. 'That's higher than Krieg's bounty.'

"So?" Luffy asked, causing Yosaku to fall over.

"Don't you realize how dangerous he is?!" Yosaku yelled before he stood up. "Alright. Looks like I'm gonna have to give you all a history lesson. First off, you plan to head to the Grand Line with only six crewmates?"

"I'll get more in the Grand Line." Luffy said.

"What does that have to do with this Fishman Arlong?" Gin asked.

"Simple. Deep in the Grand Line, there are three powers there. One of which is the Seven Warlords." Yosaku said.

"Seven Warlords?" Sanji asked. "Who are they?"

"They're pirates approved by the World Government." Yosaku said.

"Say what?" Gin said in surprise. "Since when does the World Government 'approve' of pirates?"

"They give them a portion of their treasure, and in return are left alone. Other pirates refer to them as 'Government Dogs'." Yosaku explained. "You've already met one of them. Hawk-Eye Mihawk."

"They sound strong." Luffy said. He had met each of them and knew from experience. Sanji just looked on with slight curiousity. Gin however was tensing up as sweat formed on his forehead.

'That Hawk-Eye decimated a 50 ship fleet like it was nothing.' he thought. 'And there are six more people as strong as him?! This is insanity!'

"Do these Warlords have anything to do with where we're going?" Sanji asked, snapping Gin out of his thoughts.

"Yeah. One of the Warlords is Jimbei, leader of the fishman pirates. In exchange for him being a Warlord, he released a monster into the East Blue. Arlong." Yosaku said. "Since coming here, he's taking over 20 villages and resides in a place called Arlong Park. He's insanely strong, easily stronger than even Don Krieg. He's devastating!"

"Why would Nami go there?" Sanji asked before a blush came to his face as he thought about her as a mermaid.

"Anyway, I'm hungry. Sanji, make me some food." Luffy said. Yosaku and Gin nodded at the thought of food as well, even though Yosaku thought that he was being naive.

"Right." Sanji said. "I'm on it."

()()()()

"There's the Merry!" Usopp said as he spotted her on the shore.

"Yeah, but what's it doing over there?" Johnny asked. He looked at a map to find that it was anchored between Cocoyashi and Gosa Village.

"Either way, we know she's here. So let's get ready to fight." Zoro said as he flicked his white sword from it's sheath a bit.

"Are you crazy?!" both Usopp and Johnny shouted.

"Luffy's orders were to bring Nami back." Zoro said as he placed one foot on the bow of the ship. "And that's what I'm going to do." He didn't get a chance to do anything though as Johnny and Usopp knocked him out with hammers.

"Pull up alongside the Merry." Usopp said as he stood up with confidence.

"You seem more eager now that we're avoiding Arlong Park." Johnny said.

"HEY! UNTIE ME, YOU BASTARDS!" Zoro yelled as he was tied to the cabin of the ship.

"Now now Zoro. You're still hurt." Usopp said as he patted Zoro's chest, shooting pain throughout Zoro's body. "See, you still need to rest." Usopp then stood up, declaring that this would be his grand adventure until he spotted three fishmen on the shore. "Full speed ahead!" Usopp yelled as they passed them all by.

"What are you doing?!" Zoro yelled.

"SHHHH!" Johnny and Usopp said.

"They're fishmen. We can't fight them." Usopp said.

"Hey, that's a ship." one of the fishmen said before two swam towards the boat. Seeing this, Usopp and Johnny jumped overboard, leaving Zoro screaming at them to untie him.

"What happened to you?" asked a fishman. "You exiled or something?"

"Those must be battle scars then." another said.

'I'm gonna kill them for this.' Zoro thought as Johnny and Usopp swam towards the shore. When they saw the village, they couldn't believe their eyes.

"It's like a ghost town here." Johnny said.

"All the houses have been turned upside-down." Usopp said before he saw Johnny take off. "Where are you going?"

"Looks like I found ya." said a figure behind Usopp. "You must be that exile's friend."

"GAAAAAH!" screamed Usopp before he took off running.

"Phew. Sorry Big Bro Usopp." Johnny said from a hiding place. "I'm gonna hold down the fort until our backup arrives." As Usopp ran, he kept a good distance away from the fishman, but was tripped by a little boy who wanted to kill him, thinking he was a fishman. He was stopped by a lavender haired woman with heavy tattoos on her chest and her right shoulder.

"You know what happens if you attack the fishmen." she said before she looked at Usopp. "This guy's a human anyway. Barely though."

"Barely?!" Usopp yelled before they heard the fishman approaching. "I'll deal with this guy." Usopp said as he stood up and aimed at him with his slingshot. "Special Attack!"

"Don't attack the fishmen!" Nojiko said as she knocked Usopp out from behind.

()()()()

"Where am I?" Usopp asked as he woke up from his 'nap'.

"About time you woke up." Nojiko said from a table in the room. Usopp looked to see her and the kid from before. After a brief introduction, Usopp learned that the woman's name was Nojiko and she and Nami are foster sisters, and that the house they were in was there's growing up. She then explained that their mother was long dead and only she lived there with Nami stopping in now and then and that she worked for Arlong.

"Wait. She's working for Arlong?" Usopp asked in disbelief. Usopp then asked about their ship, to which Nojiko pointed out the window to show it was their on the shore Nojiko explained that she joined up with Arlong and betrayed her own village. "I can't believe it. She even turned on her whole village?!"

"Exactly." Nojiko said.

"Tch. I can't believe it." Usopp said. "Did Luffy know about this?" he asked himself.

"Know about what?" Nojiko asked overhearing him. Usopp looked back at the ship out the window.

"When Nami took the ship, Luffy said she had her reasons. I bet Luffy didn't know that this was one of them. Even though she helped save my village and was smiling and laughing, she planned to stab us in the back this whole time!"

"Smiling and laughing? Her?" Nojiko asked. They went on about how he came here to get back the ship and her, but since she betrayed them, he came for the ship. His jaw then hit the floor as he started sweating. "What's wrong with you?"

"I left a friend on our ship when we got here. He's probably caught by the fishmen now."

()()()()

"I'm only going to ask one more time." Arlong said as he looked down at a tied up Zoro. "Why are you here?"

"I told you ya half-fish fucker. I'm looking for a girl."

"Watch your tongue." Alrong said with sinister grin on his face. "We fishmen are evolved humans who can breathe on both land and in the water. That makes us the Lords of Creation, and defying us is going against nature."

"I'm getting tired of hearing you spout that crap Arlong." Nami said as she walked out of the doorway behind him, stunning Zoro.

"All but you Nami. You're above them all, my trusted navigator."

"What the? Why are you acting all friendly with them Nami?" Zoro asked.

"You know this guy?" Arlong asked.

"He's just another idiot who I got friendly with to steal his treasure." Nami said as she approached Zoro and sat down until she was eye level with him. When she did, Zoro got a look at the tattoo on her arm, which looked exactly like Arlong's Jolly Roger.

"That tattoo." he said in shock.

"That's right. I'm a part of Arlong's crew." she said with a grin. "Everything we've been through has been nothing but an act." Zoro just glared at her.

"Did Luffy know?" he asked.

"What?" Nami said, her smile fading.

"When you stole the ship, Luffy defended you by saying you had your reasons and nothing else. Did he know that you would steal from us?" Nami froze for a moment, but remained calm.

"Hmph. He's just an idiot as well." she said.

"Shahahaha!" Arlong laughed. "This is the real Nami! Nothing but a cold-hearted, money lover. Not even the death of her mother shook her up." Arlong said. Zoro watched as Nami's eyes widened in pain at that before he smirked and lept back into the water.

"Huh?!" most of the fishmen there said.

"Is he trying to swim away?"

"Even if he tried, that human can't do anything tied up like that."

"Just leave him to drown." Arlong said.

'That idiot.' Nami thought before she jumped in after him, making all the fishmen watch in disbelief. She surfaced with him moments later, both coughing a bit for air. "Why'd you do that?" she asked.

"I could ask you the same question. Heartless huh?" Zoro said with a smirk. Nami only scowled before punching his wounds, making him double over.

"Tie him up. I'll deal with him later." Nami said.

"Arlong?!" screamed a fishman.

"What is it my brother?" Arlong asked.

"There was another human with a long nose. He got away, and I think he's hiding in Cocoyashi Village." said the fishman.

'Usopp!' Zoro thought. 'That moron was found out.'

"Cocoyashi huh?" Arlong said with a grin. "What a coincidence. I have business there as well."

()()()()

Later in Cocoyashi Village, Arlong and some of his crew came and surrounded a heavily scarred man with a pinwheel in his hat.

"You're the one that was found with weapons huh?" Arlong asked.

"That's right." Genzo said. "It's just a hobby of mine to collect them."

"That's against the rules. Weapons are forbidden in my town." Arlong said. As they were talking, Usopp and Nojiko were looking from a safe distance.

"That's Arlong?!" Usopp whispered.

"That's him." Nojiko said. "He's go twenty villages under his control." She explained about the tribute that they needed to pay to keep their lives. "If even one person doesn't pay the montly tribute, he turns that town into another Gosa."

"That's insane!" Usopp said. Nojiko explained that those were the rules and that they wouldn't think twice about killing a human. She stopped when she heard a yell, knowing who it came from. "Genzo!" she yelled as she ran to confront Arlong, who was holding a beaten Genzo up in the air with one hand. "What are you doing? We've been paying the tribute! No one here has any intent to rebel! Let him go!"

"This human had weapons." Arlong said. "Even having them is a sign of rebelion. To show you all that it will not be tolerated, he dies." Everyone began to protest, but stopped at Genzo's orders.

"You all must live, or the last eight years will be for nothing." Genzo said. All the villagers stopped at that while Arlong laughed before raising him into the air.

"Let this be a lesson to you all!" he screamed before he brought Genzo's head toward the ground.

"EXPLODING STAR!" Usopp yelled as he shot at Arlong. The explosion caused him to release Genzo and everyone to look up at him.

"Who are you?" one of them asked.

"I am Captain Usopp!" Usopp shouted as he stood dramatically with his legs shaking. "I am a man feared around the world! I have 8,000 men under my control! Leave now and I may spare you fishmen!"

"You can bring 100,000 men." Arlong said in a low voice. "I'll tear them to pieces. Even though your just a scrawny human," he said before looking at him in a crazed manner. "YOU DARE ATTACK ME YOU HUMAN FILTH!?"

'My threats and attacks didn't faze him at all?!' Usopp screamed in his head as Arlong picked up the building he was standing on. Usopp screamed as Arlong's crew begged him to calm down and stop.

"If you destroy the village, our funds decrease!"

"Then we'll take over a different one!" Arlong said before he threw the building into another one, smashing both as the villagers cried out for their village. Usopp appeared from the wreckage with almost no damage before he took off, with Arlong being held back by his crew and taken to Arlong Park to cool off. The other half of the crew chased after Usopp while the villagers gathered around Genzo, asking that he go and get treated for his injuries.

"Hi everyone." came a voice. Everyone turned to see it was Nami holding some flowers. Everyone turned away and ignored her as she walked through. She looked at the damage with a sad look. "This looks like Arlong's doing."

"That's right." Nojiko said. They talked for a bit before Nami went to a lone grave which consisted of a small wooden cross on a hill. She placed the flowers next to it before sitting down and staring out at sea.

"Only 7 million berris left." she said.

"As infamous as ever." Nojiko said as she watched her sit there.

"I'm a pirate, but Arlong knows better. He knows that money is best, so I only have a little to go to keep up our bargain. Soon, I'll buy the village from him." Nami said with a smile. Nojiko smiled as she sat down next to her. They both stared out before curiosity got the better of Nojiko.

"Hey Nami. Does the name Luffy mean anything to you?" she asked. Nami sat up straight, but kept her gaze at the sea.

"Luffy?" she asked. "Why do you ask?"

"Someone mentioned his name, a Cpt. Usopp." she said. Nami rolled her eyes at 'Cpt. Usopp' but kept listening. "Is Luffy the owner of that ship you came here on?"

"Yeah." Nami said as she lowered her head.

"So he's a pirate huh?"

"Right."

"And you stole from him like any other pirate?"

"Is this going somewhere?" Nami asked as she finally looked at her sister.

"That long-nosed visitor said that the only one who didn't get angry when you took their ship and treasure was this Luffy guy." Nojiko said. Nami just stared at her as her eyes widened a bit.

"Really?"

"Yeah. He said something about Luffy knowing why you did it. Now how would he have known about that?" she asked as she leaned her head into her hand. Nami only looked back out to the sea before she got a gloomy look on her face.

"I told him." she said in a low voice. "I don't know why, but something about Luffy just made me feel safe to tell him."

"First time I've ever heard you trusting someone else besides me and Genzo." Nojiko said. Nami sighed before a small smile crept onto her face.

"You know what he said when I told him?" Nami asked before she looked at her sister.

"What?"

"He offered to kick Arlong's ass for me." Nami said.

"He what?!" Nojiko said as her eyes widened. "He does know who Arlong is right?"

"He does." Nami said before she looked back at the grave. "Even so, he said he'd do it. That's why I stole the ship when I had the chance." Nami placed her knees to her chest with her arms and head in her knees.

"Nami?" Nojiko asked before she noticed Nami trembling a bit. "You okay?"

"I'm fine. It's just..." Nami said. Memories of Luffy came to her as tears filled her eyes. "Even though it's suicide to fight Arlong, just knowing that he wanted to fight him..." Nami said, unable to continue as her tears fell. Nojiko just put a caring hand on her shoulder as Nami cried as she looked at the ocean.

'For Nami to trust someone with something so painful.' Nojiko thought. 'I don't know who you are Luffy, but thank you for caring for Nami.'

* * *

A/N: Sorry if it's too much like the anime. I felt like it was all important.


	17. Deception and Betrayal

"She can tell me to leave all she likes." Zoro said as he sat in Arlong's seat. "I'm not leaving until Luffy says otherwise." He stared around at the unconcious fishmen who tried to take him out a moment ago until the sound of a trumpet got his attention. He walked over and hung off the wall to see an octopus Fishman holding up a roasted pig. "You blowing a trumpet or something?" he asked.

"Whoa! Who are you? My name's Hachi. Are you a guest?" Hachi said quickly.

"A guest? Something like that." Zoro said.

"Oh, well Arlong's not here right now. If you want, I can give you a lift to Cocoyashi Village, where he is now." Hachi said as he pointed at a pot.

"Sure, why not?" Zoro said as he jumped into the pot. Hachi then jumped into the sea and took the pot to Cocoyashi Village.

()()()()

"WHAT HAPPENED?!" Arlong screamed as he saw his fellow fishmen scattered about in Arlong Park. "My Brethren!" Arlong yelled. "Was it Zoro who did this?!"

"No." gasped the fishman that was lying in front of Arlong. "That green haired man...that was Zoro."

"What?!" Arlong said before another fishman named Chu came in dragging Usopp by his nose.

"I caught him Arlong, Chu, but I let him live so you could kill him." Chew said as he dropped Usopp to the ground

"GAH!" Usopp screamed before he tried to say that what he did was how his people say hello. Arlong then dediced to use him as bait to get Zoro to come back. While Usopp tried to get out of it by talking, Hachi came back to see the damage.

"What happened?!" he screamed

"Hachi." Arlong said. "Where were you?"

"I was giving a guest of yours a lift to Cocoyashi Village. That's where you said you were. But what's with all this?" he said as his six arms pointed at all the damage.

"The Pirate Hunter Zoro, that's what." Arlong said.

"Curse that Zoro!" Hachi said. "If I had seen him, none of this would've happened."

"What guest were you talking about?" a fishman named Kuroobi asked.

"A lone swordsman with green hair." Hachi said before his eyes shot open wide. "Was that him?!"

"WHO ELSE DUMBASS?!" the other fishmen shouted.

"This could be Nami's doing." Kuroobi said. "She could've brought him here to come after you. She is a decietful woman after all." Other fishmen were starting to agree until Nami spoke up.

"Enough!" Nami shouted. "I swore on this tattoo to serve under you until I got enough money. I almost have enough, so why would I do something stupid now?"

"Heh. You're right." Arlong said. "Sorry for doubting you. But now, all we need to do is wait for Zoro to arrive to pick up his little friend." he said as he had a dagger placed into the ground almost cutting Usopp's nose.

()()()()

"He got caught?" Zoro said.

"Yeah, and they took him to Arlong Park." one of the citizens in Cocoyashi Village said.

'Usopp you dumbass!' Zoro thought before he took off towards Arlong Park.

()()()()

Back with the four in the boat, they were enjoying their food before Mohmoo, a giant sea cow that listens to Arlong, rose up next to their boat. Yosaku freaked out at seeing it, Sanji and Luffy stared at it, and Gin froze with a fork halfway between his plate and his mouth.

"SEA MONSTER!" Yosaku yelled as Mohmoo sniffed the air around them, clearly smelling their food. "What does it want?!"

"It's probably just hungry." Sanji said.

"Then give it the food already!" Yosaku yelled. Before they could do anything, Luffy stepped up to the side of the ship as Mohmoo lowered himself towards their boat. Luffy placed a hand up before looking Mohmoo in the eye and activated his Conqueror's Haki. Mohmoo looked frightened as he lowered himself under Luffy. As this happened, the others in the boat only stared in shock.

"Hey...Luffy." Sanji said.

"What did you do?" Gin asked in a queit voice as Yosaku just stared with wide eyes. Luffy then gave a small explanation before picking up some food.

"I'm in a good mood cow, so I'll give you some food." Luffy said before he glared at Mohmoo. "But you try to take my arm off, and I'll rip that nose ring off your face. Got it?" Mohmoo slowly nodded, causing Luffy to smile and throw some food at him. Mohmoo ate the food and mooed happily as Luffy took some rope and tied it around Mohmoo's horns. "Okay cow, take us to Arlong Park." As Mohmoo took off, the other three stared at him.

'He just tamed that sea king like it was a puppy!' Yosaku thought.

'Who is this guy?!' all three of them thought as Luffy laughed.

()()()()

Back at Arlong Park, with all the fishmen distracted, Usopp tried to take his slingshot out, but was stopped when Nami smacked him with her staff. He flew away a bit before skidding to a stop.

"It's not a good idea to attack the fishmen." she said as she picked up a knife. Usopp looked up at her before spitting some blood away.

"So this is the real you, huh Nami?" he asked as he got up. "Just a witch that gets close to pirates and then robs them blind?"

"That's right. And since you're interferring with my business, I realize it was a mistake to let you guys follow me." Nami said as she held up the knife with a dead look in her eyes. "Time to die Usopp."

'Oh man. She's not kidding around!' Usopp thought. 'Only got one chance to run.' He then pulled out his slingshot and shot a smoke star at the ground, covering the whole area. 'Good. I'm out of here.'

"Sorry Usopp." came Nami's voice from the smoke before a stabbing sound was heard.

"Na...mi...Why?" Usopp squeeked as blood fell on the ground. As the smoke cleared everyone saw what looked like Nami stabbing Usopp. She pulled the knife out as Usopp slowly fell into the water. All the fishman cheered as Johnny cried a safe distance away, thinking the worst had happened.

"This can't be!" he whispered before he ran off.

"Heh. Guess I was wrong about you. You are one of us." Kuroobi said.

"Whatever." Nami said as she walked out of Arlong Park.

()()()()

"Faster cow!" Luffy yelled from the bow of the ship as they the sea cow pulled them toward an island in the distance.

"Is that where we're going?" Sanji asked.

"That's the place." Yosaku shouted as he saw a giant building beyond a steel gate in the water. "That's Arlong Park!

"So what now?" Gin asked. "We charge in like reckless idiots?"

"First we find the others." Luffy said. "Then we charge in." He then pulled the ropes to the right as they neared the island. "That way cow!"

"What are you doing?!" Sanji shouted.

"Hold on guys!" Luffy shouted as he stretched his arms out and grab Mohmoo's horns. He then shoved his feet into the wood of the bow before rocketing them all through the air. "YAHOO! IT'S LIKE WE'RE FLYING!"

"WE ARE FLYING MORON!" Sanji yelled as he and the other two hung on for dear life. "WHY'D YOU DO THAT ANYWAY?!"

"Because one of our crew is this way." he answered calmly as the ship hit the ground but kept plowing through the trees.

()()()()

"What's that sound?" Zoro asked himself as he looked to his left. He got his answer when a boat came flying out of the trees right at him. His mouth fell open before the boat ran him over. It kept going until it crashed into some wetlands.

"That was fun." Luffy laughed as he walked out of the wreckage.

"No it wasn't." Sanji groaned as he and the others were under the wreckage.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Zoro yelled as they all finally got out of the remains of the ship.

"Sorry about that. Hey Zoro." Luffy said with a smile. "Where's Nami, Johnny, and Usopp?"

"Usopp?!" Zoro said before he ran off. "Usopp got caught. We gotta go help him!"

"Too late." Johnny said as he slowly walked towards them all with tears in his eyes. "He's already gone."

"Gone?" Yosaku asked.

"I saw the whole thing." Johnny said through his tears. "Big Bro Usopp...was murdered...BY BIG SIS NAMI!" he screamed. All but Luffy looked at him in shock.

"He's alive." Luffy said in a calm voice.

"But...but I saw it!" Johnny said as the tears fell again. "I know what I saw. Nami's nothing but a cold hearted woman!" he said before he started ranting on and on. Luffy finally sighed before he took a deep breath.

"WILL YOU SHUT UP ALREADY?!" he shouted, causing all of them to freeze. Everyone looked at him as Luffy just stared at the sky. "Usopp's alive. I can sense him."

"You mean with that haki of yours Luffy?" Zoro asked.

"Yeah. I don't know what you saw Johnny, but Usopp's alive. As for Nami, she's not one to take someone's life, especially her friends." Luffy said.

"Friend huh?" came a voice behind them all. Everyone looked to see Nami walking towards them all with a bandage around her left hand. She looked at them all like they were nothing but utter pests. Her face softened when she saw Luffy, who looked right back at her. She closed her eyes as she gave a soft sigh. "Why did you all come here?"

"To get you back of course." Luffy said with a small smile.

"I saw what you did!" Johnny shouted as he pointed wildly at Nami. "What happened to Big Bro Usopp?!" Nami just looked at them all with her eyes now hidden by her bangs.

"Don't worry. He's alive." she said.

"He is? Really?!" Johnny said.

"Hi Nami!" Sanji said in love mode. "Remember me? Let's fly away together!"

"Wait a minute!" Johnny shouted. "What about all the blood I saw?"

"That was mine." she said as she held up her bandaged hand.

"See guys." Luffy said with his arms crossed and a big smile on his face. "She's not a bad person." Nami just stared at Luffy as she felt her eyes well up a bit. She turned away from them all before she spoke again.

"I'm sorry I stole from you all. If you want your ship back, it's docked near my house. I'll bring it to you guys later. But for now, don't cause any trouble on this island and stay out of our affairs."

"Alright." Luffy said as he fell down to the ground.

"Captain?" Gin asked.

"I'm gonna take a nap." he said. Nami couldn't help but smile to herself at Luffy's carefree attitude.

'Idiot.' she thought before she walked off.

"So what now?" Zoro asked.

"We sit back and relax. We're not leaving unless she comes with us, and that's final." Luffy said before he put his hat on his face and dozed off.

"Is that really all we're doing?" Gin asked in disbelief.

"Captain's orders." Zoro said as he sat in the middle of the road. Gin only sighed as he walked off and sat down in the grass. Sanji sat down in the shade of a tree smoking a cigarette.

'These guys are too laid back.' Johnny and Yosaku thought.

()()()()

Somewhere else on the island, Usopp was running down the road with a cloak around him. He was thinking back to when Nami pretended to stab him, but stabbed her hand instead. As he did, he saw his crew up ahead and ran towards them with his cloak falling off. He didn't hear Sanji shouting at Zoro in defense of Nami and unknowingly ran between a kick and a hard fist.

"Usopp?" Sanji said.

"He's alive!" Zoro said. "Well...maybe."

()()()()

"AHH! USOPP!" Luffy shouted. He wanted to wake up and prevent this from happening like last time, but was too sleepy to wake up. "How'd this happen?!"

"Sorry. It was mine and Zoro's fault." Sanji said as he pointed his finger at Zoro.

"No, just your fault." Zoro said as Usopp looked up at Luffy.

"Luffy...you're here."

"Yep. I sure am." he said with a smile.

"I'm here too." Sanji said. Usopp got up and in his face as he started threatening to kill him. "Hey, a full recovery."

"SHUT UP!" Usopp shouted.

"By the way, we heard Nami faked your death." Zoro said in a bored tone.

"Huh?" Usopp said as he blinked at that. "Oh yeah. Something strange is happening on this isl- what's he doing here?!" Usopp said he now noticed and pointed at Gin.

"Finally realized I was here huh?" Gin said.

"Now that you mention it, why are you here?" Zoro asked.

"I asked him to join us." Luffy said, earning confused looks from both of them. After a quick explanation, they both still stared.

"So you asked him to join?" Usopp said.

"Yeah. He's heading to the Grand Line as well, so why not?" Luffy said.

"Getting back to the matter at hand," Zoro said. "What are we going to do about Nami? She doesn't seem to wanna leave for some reason."

"Why is she working for some fishmen anyway?" Yosaku asked.

"Not that it's any of your business," someone said. Everyone looked up the hill to see Nojiko looking at them all. "But Nami's got a good reason as to why she's working for them."

"Who's that?" Johnny asked.

"Nojiko!" Usopp said.

"Who?"

"Nami's big sister."

"No wonder she's hot!" Sanji said with hearts in his eyes. Nojiko looked at them all with slight annoyance and curiosity.

"Which one of you is Luffy?" she asked.

"I'm Luffy. Hi." he said.

'So that's Luffy huh?' Nojiko thought. 'He doesn't look like he can fight, but he is cute.'

"What do you want with us?" Gin asked.

"Hey. Have a little grace when addressing a lady." Sanji said as he took a puff of his smoke.

"But he does have a point." Zoro said. "Is there something you need?"

"I need you all to leave Nami alone." Nojiko said. "If you're curious about why she's working for them, I'll tell you. But if that doesn't get you to leave, I don't know what will." While some were curious, Luffy already knew.

"I know why, so I'll pass." he said as he walked up the hill.

"Where you going?" Usopp shouted.

"Just a walk." he answered back as he kept walking. As he did, Nojiko explained to the others about Nami's past, why she acts the way she does, and her deal with Arlong. To buy the village from him with one payment of 100,000,000 berris. As they talked, Luffy kept on walking until he spotted three fishmen walking his way. He was ready to say hi to Hachi, but saw that he was with Kuroobi and Chu, each with smug smiles on their faces. "Oh yeah, he's still a bad guy here." he said before he kept walking right past them.

"Hey you!" Hachi shouted.

"Me?" Luffy asked after he took a few more steps.

"Yeah you! Who are you and why are you here?"

"Why do you care?" he asked.

"It's...uh...well...we don't get many visitors." Hachi said after thinking a bit.

"I'm Luffy. I'm just going for a walk."

"A walk?!" Hachi said before he pulled out six hankys and waved them at Luffy. "Well, have a nice walk then."

"Hey asshole! Where you going?" Kuroobi barked.

"Don't know. Just a walk." Luffy said before he went walking again. While the fishmen were talking about how he wasn't afraid of them, Nojiko finished her story.

"Do you understand now?" she asked.

"So that's why she did all that." Usopp said. Sanji was all for kicking the fishmens asses, but was knocked to the ground by Nojiko.

"NO! If you attack them, they'll kill us. If Arlong thinks you're friends with Nami, then they'll get suspicious of her and everything she's done will have been for nothing. Please, just leave the island. Nothing is more difficult for Nami...then for others to call her friend."

()()()()

Back in Cocoyashi Village, a group of marines were walking through being led by a marine captain.

"Excuse me, I'm Captain Nezumi, head of the Marines 16th Branch." said the rat looking captain.

"My name is Genzo. Are you in need of our assistance?" Genzo asked.

"Yes. I need you to take me to see a woman named Nami." the Captain said with a smile.

()()()()

"Just 7 million more berris." Nami said. "Then I can buy the village from Arlong. Then...everyone can finally smile from the heart again." She sighed with a smile as she looked outside before chuckling. "Maybe Luffy might help." She couldn't help but have her mind wander to that rubber idiot.

()()()()

Luffy was walking through Cocoyashi Village until he spotted Genzo leading a group of marines through the village.

"You mind telling me what your business is with Nami?" Genzo asked.

"That need not concern you. Just take me there." Nezumi said as they walked right past Luffy and into a space between some houses. Luffy watched as they all left.

"That pinwheel is still cool." he said. He was about to continue on, but stopped in mid-step. "Wait...didn't something happen afterwards?" He thought for a moment before it dawned on him. "Oh yeah. Those marines..." was all he said before he disappeared.

()()()()

"Well, time to go on one last voyage." Nami said as she walked outside her home. She stopped when she saw Genzo and a group of marines approach her. "What?"

"I'm Nezumi. Captain of the Marines 16th Branch. I'm here about your thievery."

"Thievery?" Nami said before she crossed her arms. "Well I am a pirate, but I'm with Arlong's crew. Try anything here and Arlong won't let it slide."

"Well, this is news to me." Nezumi said. "I've recieved no information of you with pirates. I'm here on other business."

"Hi Nami." Luffy said from behind the group. Everyone looked to see him grinning and waving. "Nice tangerine grove."

"Who are you?" Nezumi asked.

"Luffy?" Nami said. "What are you doing here?"

"I was taking a walk and followed these guys. That's all." Luffy said.

"Anyway, back to business." Nezumi said. "I heard that you've been stealing from pirates. Since the victims are pirates, I won't hold any charges against you. However, stealing is stealing. As such, it is our job as marines to return all stolen articles to their rightful owner."

"Wait...what?" Nami said in shock.

"In short, all the money you've stolen is to be handed over to me immediately." Nezumi said with a creepy grin. "Search the house."

"Yes sir." replied the marines as they went into Nami's house, despite her protests.

"Arlong has killed many people and taken over many towns, yet you ignore him and come after one petty thief?!" Nami screamed

"Is that any way a petty thief should talk to a Marine Officer?" Nezumi said.

"Sir, nothing in the house, but these orchards look suspiscious." one of the marines said.

"Dig up the fields." Nezumi ordered.

"STAY AWAY FROM BELLEMERE'S TANGERINE TREES!" Nami shouted as she attacked some marines with her staff. "That money isn't for you! It's for-"

"It's to save all our lives here at the village!" Genzo finished for Nami, startling her.

"You...you knew Genzo?" she asked.

"Everyone knew Nami. After you joined Arlong, none of us could believe it. So we asked Nojiko and she told us about your deal."

"Then why didn't you say anything?!" Nami said.

"If you knew that we knew, we feared it would be too much to take. We thought you've feel to obligated to help us in case you wanted to run, so we kept our mouths shut about everything."

"Genzo." Nami said in a quiet voice.

"If that's true, then should I arrest the whole village for harboring a thief?" Nezumi asked with a grin.

"We decided to fight for ourselves since it was useless to put our hopes on you clowns." Nojiko said as she appeared. "If you're not here to arrest Arlong, then get lost!"

"Pretty bold to be talking to me like that." Nezumi said as he turned to his men. "What's taking so long to find it? It's 100,000,000 berris for crying out loud!" This shocked Nami, Genzo, and Nojiko.

"How did you know it was that much?!" Genzo shouted.

"The amount? Lucky guess." Nezumi said. Nami froze as Arlong's horrible laugh came to her mind.

'Arlong?!' she thought. "Arlong sent you here, didn't he?!" she screamed.

"Arlong? What makes you say that?" Nezumi said with a sinister grin that said all that was needed. Before anyone could say anything else, all the marines except Nezumi fell to the ground out cold. "Wha-What happened?!" Nezumi said as he looked at all his fallen men. "What are you all doi-" was what he said before a fist was shoved into his gut. Nezumi was stunned before he fell to his knees and passed out.

"That guy was getting on my nerves." Luffy said as he turned to the stunned three.

"Who...who are you?" Genzo said.

"Monkey D. Luffy. Pirate." Luffy said with a grin. While Genzo and Nojiko just stared at the scene before them, Nami was trembling where she stood before she took off.

'Arlong! Arlong! ARLONG!'

()()()()

"ARLONG!"

"Ah, my trusted navigator. Something wrong?" Arlong asked.

"The marines just came to my house to steal my money! What's going on?!" she said as she walked up to him.

"The marines huh? That's a shame."

"Cut the crap!" she said as she grabbed him by his shirt. "What about our deal? You said you'd rather die than break a deal involving money, didn't you?!"

"That's right. And have I broken my promise?" he asked.

"Don't lie to me! You sent-" Nami said before Arlong grabbed her face, covering her mouth with his hand as he glared at her with a grin.

"Have I broken my promise?" he said. "If the marines took your money, that's too bad. Until you pay me the full sum in one go, I won't let you or your village go."

'You monster!' Nami thought as tears ran down her face.

"What's wrong Nami? Thinking of running away? Of course, if you try that, I'll kill everyone in the village." he said with a laugh as he let her go. Nami just glared at him before she ran off with tears in her eyes.

"Nice plan Arlong." Chew said.

"Of course. I'm not letting her go until she makes a map of everywhere." Arlong said.

"Too bad it'll take decades." Chew said before they all started laughing.

()()()()

While this was happening, Johhny and Yosaku were walking towards Arlong Park. They heard Nami's story and were ready to fight Arlong for her.

"There it is." Johnny said as he spotted the Arlong Park in the distance. "Time to kick that fishman's ass."

"Right behind you partner!" Yosaku said. They both glared at the building before he stopped. "By the way..." he said.

"What?" Johnny asked when he noticed Yosaku stopped walking. Yosaku kept his eyes on the ground before he looked back at Johnny.

"On the way here to this Island, Big Bro Luffy asked something crazy." he said.

-Flashback-

Mohmoo was still pulling the boat in the direction of the island as Luffy, Gin, Sanji, and Yosaku were holding on.

"Hey Yosaku." Luffy said.

"Yeah Big Bro?"

"You and Johnny wanna join my crew?" he asked.

"Huh?!" Yosaku said as he stared at Luffy like he grew an extra head.

"I'm looking for crewmates, and you and Johnny are cool. So what do you say?"

-Flashback ends-

"He asked if we wanted to join his crew?" Johnny asked in disbelief. "Doesn't he know we're pirate hunters?"

"He does, but he still wants us to join. Crazy huh?" Yosaku said.

"I'll say." Johnny said before they both laughed until they were just outside the gate. "We're here."

"Right." Yosaku said. He and Johnny both had their swords out before they both took a deep breath.

"WE'VE COME FOR THE HEAD OF ARLONG!"

* * *

I'm cutting the chapter here. Sorry if it sounds off.


	18. Straw hats Vs Fishmen

Back at the village, everyone saw Genzo and Nojiko, both with pure anger across their faces.

"Hey Genzo, what's wrong?" one of the villagers asked. Genzo was trembling with rage as he looked at everyone.

"Those marines from earlier." he hissed.

"Oh no." someone said.

"Did Arlong kill them?"

"No." Nojiko said. "Arlong sent them." Everyone just looked at her confused.

"Those marines were acting on Arlong's orders to steal Nami's money." Genzo said. Everyone just stared as his words sunk in.

"Then...that means..."

"They lied to Nami!"

"Even though they failed to get their hands on her money, I doubt Arlong will give up." Genzo said before he got a determined look in his eyes. "Spread word to the whole village. Tell everyone to meet here and to gather whatever weapon they have."

()()()()

Nami was running back towards her village as fast as she could.

"Genzo...Nojiko...everyone! Please, don't do anything rash!" she said.

()()()()

Everyone gathered in the village with makeshift weapons in hand, each scared but determined.

"Eight years ago," Genzo said. "We made a vow to live our lives, despite what Arlong threw at us. That as long as Nami fought, we would endure until Nami honored her deal with Arlong. BUT IT WAS ALL FOR NOTHING!" he screamed out, getting everyone angry. "Those bastards never intended to keep their promise! They never intend to let this village or Nami free! But now, we're going to make them pay for all the years they tricked a kind little girl! WHO'S WITH ME?!"

"YEEEEAAAAAAAAAHHH!" roared the whole village.

"Let's do this!"

"We'll teach those rotten fishmen!"

"STOP!" someone shouted. Everyone looked to see Nami walking towards them with a smile on her face. "Wait everyone! There's no need to fight them. They didn't get any of my money, so it'll only be one more trip and I'll have enough. Don't worry about it. Calm down everyone." Everyone watched her as she tried to keep them calm, but Genzo walked up to her and held her in a tight hug.

"Enough Nami." he said in a calm voice. Nami just stood there as tears threatened to fall from her eyes. "There's no point. Even though they failed this time, Arlong will try something else to keep you from buying our freedom. There's no doubt about that."

"Genzo." Nami said in a choked up voice.

"Set yourself free Nami." Genzo said, shocking her.

"What?" she said.

"Do it Nami." Nojiko said with a smile.

"Nojiko?!" she said. She looked around to see the whole village agreed. "You're a smart girl, and you have a dream."

"Everyone stop!" she said as she pulled out a knife. "Stay where you are! I won't let you go to the fishmen!" she said as she started trembling. "You'll all die."

"We know." the village doctor said. Genzo walked up to her and grabbed the knife with his bare hands, causing them to bleed.

"OUTTA THE WAY!" he screamed at her. He then looked back at the crowd with his sword drawn. "MOVE OUT!"

"LET'S SHOW THOSE FISHMEN WHAT WE'RE MADE OF!" someone screamed as they all ran off to fight the fishmen. Nami just stood there before the knife fell from her hands as she fell to her knees. All she could hear was Arlong's horrible laughter as her eyes darted towards the tattoo on her left shoulder. She placed her fingers on it, looking ready to rip it right off her shoulder.

'Arlong!' she thought before she grabbed the knife and stabbed her shoulder, screaming out Arlong's name. Over and over she stabbed, each time speaking his name as blood fell from her shoulder. She kept going until she felt another hand grab her wrist. She looked up to see a familiar face under a straw hat. "Luffy?" she said before she dropped the knife. She looked back to the ground with her head down. She was quiet for some time as the tears continued to fall from her eyes. "They left..."

"Yeah. I saw."

"They'll be killed. All of them." she said. "Even though I'm almost there, they still ran off to fight them." She sat there trembling as the thought of everyone she loved dying at the fishmens hands went through her mind. "I was so close..."

"You know, the offer still stands Nami." Luffy said. Nami just sat there for a moment before she raised her head.

"Luffy...help me." she said as she looked at him with tears in her eyes. Luffy had a blank look as he took off his straw hat and placed it on her head. Just like last time, he took a few steps away before taking a deep breath.

"DARN RIGHT I WILL!" he screamed.

'Do NOT touch my hat!' Nami remembered as she stared at Luffy. He was leaving his treasured hat in her care. She couldn't stop the tears as Luffy walked off towards his crew, who were all waiting for his orders.

"Let's go."

"Right." they all said. All five then made their way to Arlong Park.

()()()()

"Whoa!"

"What happened?"

"Did Arlong do this to you guys?" All the villagers were outside the gate to Arlong Park, where they saw a beaten up Johnny and Yosaku leaning against the gate.

"Step aside." Genzo said as Johnny looked up at them. "We've come to see the fishmen."

"After we heard the truth about big sis Nami, there was only one thing we could think to do: Beat Arlong." Johnny said. "With that in mind, we came here to do that."

"But as you can see, he thrashed us easily." Yosaku finished.

"Sorry, but we're not moving for you guys. Especially since you have no chance of victory." Johnny said.

"What?" Genzo said.

"Be patient. We're waiting for those guys to show up." Yosaku said. Everyone just looked at them in confusion.

"Those guys?" Genzo asked.

"I bet my life on it. Those guys will show up soon." Yosaku said. After a moment, both he and Johnny stood up with smiles on their faces.

"There!" they both said. Everyone looked behind them to see five people walking side by side towards them all. Gin, Zoro, Luffy, Sanji, and Usopp."

"Those guys?" Nojiko asked.

"Why would they help us?" Genzo asked.

"If they can't beat Arlong, then not only this island, but the whole East Blue is finished." Yosaku said.

"Etch those five into your minds. They're the men who'll change fate itself." Johnny said. Soon all five were near the crowd.

"Move." Luffy said as they approached. As they did, Arlong's laugh could be heard inside. Luffy's eyes narrowed at that laugh. All the pain he made Nami go through was about to thrown back at him 100 fold. Everyone moved away from the gate as Luffy balled his hands into fists. He then punched the gate a few times before it exploded. All the fishmen inside were staring with disbelief as the smoke cleared, showing one pissed off Luffy.

"What the?!" Arlong said with bloodshot eyes. Luffy stood up with a fist in the air as he glared at them all.

"Which one of you is Arlong?" he asked. Though he knew, he wanted them to know he wasn't messing around.

"Arlong?" Arlong asked as he lay in his chair looking at Luffy with a bored but annoyed expression. "I'm Arlong."

"Good. I'm Luffy." Luffy said as he started walking towards Arlong.

"Luffy? What are you supposed to be?" he asked.

"A pirate."

"Hey wait a minute! You're that guy that likes to go on walks!" Hachi shouted.

"Where do you think you're going?" asked a fishman as he and another fishman blocked Luffy's path.

"You wanna talk to the boss, you gotta talk to us fi-"

Faster than anyone could blink, Luffy punched both fishmen into the air. They both flew so high that they couldn't be seen anymore.

"Whoa..." one of the villagers said as everyone stared in awe.

"What do you want pirate?" Arlong asked, looking quite pissed at seeing his fellow fishmen beaten like that. Luffy stood still for a moment before he appeared next to Arlong, punching him with blinding speed so that he flew through the wall on the other side of the park, leaving a hold looking like Arlong in the wall. All the villagers and other fishmen gapped at that as Luffy had steam coming out of his nose.

"THAT'S FOR MAKING OUR NAVIGATOR CRY!" Luffy shouted. Everyone stared in shock before some fishmen went to attack Luffy.

"Back off! You're not worth the trouble!" Sanji said as he kicked them all away. He then turned to Luffy and started scolding him for running in like that.

"I'm not worried. I can handle them." Luffy said with a grin.

"I don't care about that! You're gonna hog all the action!" he yelled.

"Don't worry about m-me guys." Usopp said. "Take all of them if you like."

"Ready to go as always, eh Usopp?" Zoro said as he rolled his eyes.

"Can you even fight long nose?" Gin asked. All the villagers just stared at the scene in front of them.

"He blasted Arlong through the wall?!" one of them asked in disbelief.

"No way. They're actually beating the fishmen?" Soon all the villagers felt their hope of gaining their freedom rise.

"HEY! I REMEMBER YOU! YOU TRICKED ME RORONOA ZORO!" Hachi yelled while flailing his six arms wildly. He then screamed in fear at the sight of Usopp. "IT'S THAT LONG NOSE GUY! HOW'S HE STILL ALIVE?!"

"Tch. If he's alive, then the only reason is that bitch Nami let him live. I knew she was a traitor." Kuroobi snarled. Everyone went silent as Arlong's laugh could be heard from the other side of the wall before he walked out of the hole of himself.

"A pirate huh?" he laughed. "Now it's starting to make sense. You want her to navigate your ship. Sorry, but she's mine!" he declared. After those words, Hachi laughed.

"You punks aren't worth Arlong's time." he said. "We know how to take care of you." He then began making trumpet like sounds with his mouth. After a few moments, Mohmoo rose up from the water inside Arlong Park. All the villagers screamed as Mohmoo got closer to Hachi, stopping only when he spotted Luffy.

"Oh, it's the sea cow again." Luffy said as he looked at Mohmoo.

"I was wondering what happened to him." Sanji said. Mohmoo just stared at them both before looking a little sad. He remembered them giving him food and didn't want to hurt them, so he turned to leave, confusing the fishmen. Mohmoo stopped when Arlong called out to him, then seemed to get angry when Arlong finished speaking before turning to attack Luffy and his crew. Luffy sighed before holding a hand up and releasing a wave of haki at Mohmoo. Mohmoo stopped again, stunning everyone but Sanji, Gin, and Yosaku.

"He stopped that sea king with just a wave of his hand?!" a lot of the villagers screamed.

'That haki again.' Zoro thought.

"Sorry Mohmoo." Luffy said before he pulled his fist back and slammed it into Mohmoo's head, knocking the sea king out cold.

"MOHMOO!" Hachi screamed before looking at Luffy and his crew with rage in his eyes. "Why you rotten humans! I'll teach you to treat our brethren like this!"

"Alright you inferior human." Arlong said in a low tone. "I've had about all I can tolerate from the likes of you."

"Calm down Arlong." Kuroobi said. "You'll destroy Arlong Park if you go crazy."

"We're more than enough to beat these punks down. Chu!" Chew said as all the fishmen were ready to fight.

"LET US KILL THESE WEAKLINGS!" Hachi yelled. Luffy frowned at hearing Hachi speak like that.

"Alright." Arlong said as he grinned.

"Gin." Luffy said. "Your up." Gin only grinned back as he brought out his tonfa and began to swing it around in circles.

"Heh. One human against all of us?" a fishman said in a cocky tone. "I'll take care of him." He then lunged at Gin, ready to take him out. Right as he swung his fist, Gin ducked to avoid the attack before swinging his tonfa around, smashing his head into the concrete. Everyone stared as he raised a bloody tonfa up with a dissatisfied frown as he looked at the villagers.

"These guys are a threat?" he asked as he slowly swung his tonfa around again before grinning. "Don't make me laugh." They villagers just stared while the fishmen looked ready to kill.

"HUMAN TRASH!" some of them shouted as they all charged at Gin. Gin just smiled as he began to fight them off, all the while grinning at them all. Two lunged at his back, only for Gin to backflip behind them. He then smashed their heads together with his tonfa, but was caught in a death grip by a third fishman.

"Gotcha!" the fishman said as another was charging Gin from the front for the kill. Gin's eyes narrowed before he spun his tonfa in his hand, resting the heavy ball against his elbow before raising it to smash it into his grappler's ribs. The attacked caused the fishman behind him to let go just in time for Gin to dodge, causing the charging fishman to attack his comrade. As he stared at what he did, Gin spun around and smashed his tonfa into his head, sending both fishman flying into the wall.

"He's beating them up like they're nothing." the doctor said as Kuroobi slowly walked towards Gin.

"Seems it'll take more to do away with you." he said. "After I get rid of you, that bitch Nami is next."

"Hold it right there." Sanji said as he walked between Kuroobi and Gin. "I won't stand by and let some fish freak insult a beautiful lady."

"A lady?" Kuroobi asked skeptically. "Ha! You'd die for some stupid girl? That's a laugh." Sanji got pissed as he removed his cigarette and glared at Kuroobi.

"One more insult and your sushi asshole!" he said in a dangerous tone. "You hear me?"

"Your skills are good for a human, but isn't chivalry from a pirate a little fake?" Kuroobi said with a grin.

"I'm dead good at what I do." he said as he put his cigarette back in his mouth. "And there's nothing fake about wanting to help a beautiful lady in need." Soon, both were facing off as Hachi glared at Zoro.

"You tricked me earlier Roronoa Zoro!" he shouted. "How dare you attack my brethren, and then con me into giving you a lift to Cocoyashi?!"

"That's old news octo-freak." Zoro said as he grabbed the hilt of his blade with his hand. "I don't care why you want me dead, but the tables have turned." he said as he slowly unsheated his sword for everyone to see the glint of his blade. "You're not the hunters anymore fish-freak. You're the hunted." As Hachi ran off to get his blades, Gin screamed in pain as he fell to his knees. The villagers looked to see him bleeding from the back of his right shoulder and left leg. While he had his back turned, Chew had fired two water shots from his mouth at Gin to cripple him.

"Bullseye." he said as he wiped his mouth.

"You're finished!" screamed the last two fishmen as they both charged at Gin.

'Shit! My arm's in bad shape, and I can't move!" he thought as they were nearly upon him.

"EXPLODING STAR!" Usopp yelled as he fired two exploding pellets at the fishman, sending them flying back and away from Gin. "Take t-that, you rotten fish!" Usopp yelled as his legs shook in fear.

"You're that long nose human that attacked Arlong before." Chew said as Usopp slowly turned to him with sweat and snot on his face. "This time when we kill you," he said as he ran towards him. "IT'LL BE FOR GOOD!"

"KAAAAAAAAAH!" Usopp shrieked as he ran past the villagers. Chew saw them all before stopping.

"Weapons huh?" Chew asked. "Seems you all intend to rebel against us. Since that's the case, I have no choice but to kill you." He got ready to strike, but stopped when a flaming star hit him.

"Did you think it was that easy?" Usopp yelled from a distance with his slingshot out. "I'M your opponent!" Chew glared at him before declaring he would die, which caused Usopp to turn and run with Chew in pursuit.

"Who is that guy?" Genzo asked.

"Brave one moment, then cowardly the next." the doctor said as they all turned back to see Zoro face off against Hachi and Sanji against Kuroobi. Arlong stood up with a dark look on his face with a frown.

"I've had enough games." he said as he glared at Luffy. Luffy just glared right back as his crew fought against the fishmen. "Do you not understand my anger? My brethren are laid about, broken and bruised! I swear...I'LL KILL EVERY ONE OF YOU INFERIOR HUMANS!"

* * *

A/N: Okay, what did you think of Gin's fighting? Too short? Also, were the small changes good enough, or not good at all?


	19. Fishman Beatdown!

A/N: I don't remember all the names for their attacks, so I'm going with what I remember.

* * *

Nami was back at her home, dressing the stab wound she gave herself. She tied a bandage around her shoulder before she left.

'I've cried and complained long enough! Everyone's fighting for their freedom.' she thought. 'I will too!'

()()()()

The villagers watched from the broken gate, which was guarded by Johnny and Yosaku to keep them from getting themselves killed. While Gin was among the crowd having his wounds taken care of by the doctor, Hachi returned with a blade in each hand as he and Zoro were about to fight.

"Behold Roronoa Zoro!" Hachi yelled. "Aside from another on Fishman Island, I am the strongest swordsman! You cannot hope to beat my six sword style!" As he yelled, Zoro tied his bandana around his head and placed his white blade in his mouth.

"What's so great about that?" Zoro asked. "Johnny! Yosaku! Lend me your blades!"

"Right Big Bro!" they both shouted as they threw their swords towards Zoro. "Catch!"

"HAH! Behold the power of my six sword style! OCTOPUS MIRACLE SWORDS!" Hachi yelled as he waved his swords around while charging towards Zoro. Zoro didn't even budge.

"Big Bro! Our swords are coming at you!" Johnny yelled.

"Didn't you say you wanted them?!" screamed Yosaku. Just before Hachi struck, Zoro grabbed both blades and began to swerve and deflect all of Hachi's blades.

"Three Sword Style," Zoro said as he appeared behind Hachi. "Bleeding the Wolf!" Both stood their for a moment before Hachi was slashed and blood dripped from his chest.

"NYU?! How dare you?!" Hachi yelled as he turned to face Zoro. "Nyu?" he said as he noticed Zoro wobble around a bit and sweating a lot.

"His wound from Hawk-Eye hasn't healed yet." Yosaku said.

"It'd probably take half a year for it to finish healing, yet he's moving around like it's nothing!" said Johnny.

"That idiot. Why didn't he-" Sanji said before Kuroobi's fist knocked him through the wall of the fence surrounding Arlong Park.

"You shouldn't take your eyes off your opponent." Kuroobi said. "I'm a level 40 master of Fishman Karate."

"Brother Cook!" Johnny and Yosaku screamed. Sanji just lay there in a daze with blood slipping out of his mouth.

"SHAHAHAHAHA!" Arlong laughed. "Did you humans really think you had a chance?" he asked, grinning at the sight of Zoro and Sanji either down or on their last legs. "Why don't you join them?!" He shouted as he lunged at Luffy. Luffy merely stepped to the side, avoiding the attack before grabbing Arlong's head and shoving his face into the concrete.

"Shut up and watch." Luffy said as he looked back at the fight. Everyone gaped at the sight of Arlong being thrown to the ground so easily. They then turned back to Sanji who was slowly getting up and was lighting a cigarette.

"Level 40 huh?" he asked as he breathed out some smoke. "Then the geezer's kicks must've been level 400." He then slowly walked back into the park for a rematch against Kuroobi.

"You're still alive?" Kuroobi asked in disbelief.

"Of course I am." Sanji said with a grin. "I know a restaurant full of people who could beat you easily."

"I'm being underestimated." Kuroobi said.

"Nyuuuuu!" Hachi said before he pointed all his blades at Zoro. "Octopus Pot Stance! Eat this!" he shouted as he charged at Zoro. "New Year's!" he shouted as Zoro blocked he blades. "Octopus Opener!" He shouted as he moved Zoro's blade away, leaving him open to a massive headbutt from Hachi into his wounds.

"GAH!" Zoro shouted as his eyes rolled back while he struggled to stay on his feet.

"That idiot!" Sanji said before Kuroobi punched him again in the ribs.

"Looking away again? Stupid human." Kuroobi chuckled. While they were fighting, Hachi ran under him before twirling his swords around. "Octopus Waltz! DIE!" Zoro did nothing as he fell on the blades, scaring all the villagers before Hachi screamed as he stared at his bleeding hands. "He spun around with my blades and cut my hands?! How?!"

"Simple." Zoro said as he stood up breathing heavily. An image of Hawk-Eye flashed through his mind.

'What burden do you carry on your shoulders?'

"My swords are heavier. That's all."

"What?! That's impossible. Mine are 300KG each. No way are yours heavier!" he then put his blades together again. "POT STANCE! Time to die!" he then charged at Zoro, who had a distant look in his eyes.

'I'm at my limit. I can barely see.' Zoro thought. "But I can't pass out now.' He then raised his swords again. 'This wound would kill an ordinary man by now. If I'm to defeat Hawk-Eye...**THEN I CANNOT BE ORDINARY**!' "DRAGON TORNADO!" he shouted as his attack broke Hachi's blades and sent him spiraling skyward. 'Like I told him. My swords are heavier.'

"I lost...to his three sword style?" Hachi said before he smashed into the concrete. All the villagers stared in disbelief as Arlong tried to move, enraged at seeing Hachi beaten.

"Get...off of me!" Arlong growled as Luffy kept him from moving with his foot.

"I said be quiet." Luffy said in a bored tone, not budging at all. Meanwhile, Kuroobi had knocked Sanji into the water earlier and proceeded to use his fishman karate on Sanji. No matter what Sanji tried, he couldn't move fast enough in the water, giving Kuroobi a huge advantage.

"Hehehe. All this for some stupid bitch? Sad." he said as he was about to finish Sanji off, only for Sanji to blow air into his gills, suffocating him as they both rose to the water.

"You okay?" Zoro asked.

"Yeah...I'm alright." he said before shouting and pointing at the water. "GET OUT HERE! I WANNA FIGHT WHERE I CAN BREATHE!" Kuroobit got out of the water before he started spouting about how his attack earlier was nothing compared to his ultimate attack, and that his chances of survival were zero, even with a leg coming at him.

"Neck!" he said before kicking Kuroobi into the concrete. "I told you didn't I?" he said as Kuroobi tried to get up. "SHOULDER!" he said with another kick. "Not to insult Nami!" he said before delivering a rapid series of kicks. "RIBS! BACK! CHEST! LEGS!" Soon Kuroobi was struggling to stand up as Sanji ran towards him.

"Bastard! Thousand Brick Fist!" he shouted as he swung at Sanji again, but missed.

"Now...FACE SHOT!" Sanji yelled as he kicked Kuroobi through the building, ending their fight for good. "That's that."

()()()()

While they were all fighting, two others were far off near some wetlands.

"That human could run fast." Chew said as he looked down at a bleeding Usopp. He had shot him with a water blast and was now smirking before he started walking back to Arlong Park. Usopp looked at him with a grin.

'Glad I made that special ketchup star for something like this.' he thought as he watched Chew keep walking away. 'Those fishmen are way too powerful. Sorry Nami. I wanna help, but I don't wanna die either.' When Chew was safe distance away, Usopp sat up. 'Still, with all this ketchup, I'll look like I was hurt. Maybe a bit of dirt will help out to make it seem more real.' He then began to rub some dirt on his arm. "What should I say? 'Sorry, but I lost.' Hmm." As he kept talking, his friends and all the others back at the village were flashing through his mind.

'Aren't we crewmates?'

'I prefer death!'

'Sorry Usopp, but this is for the sake of my business.

'It's an honor to help a lady in need.'

'Do you know how hard it's been for Nami?'

'You can't win, so stay out of their fight.'

'LET'S FIGHT!'

Usopp just stared at the ground as an image of his crew all laughing flashed through his mind before he started to tremble as tears fell from his eyes.

'I'm nothing but a liar and a coward!' he thought before he stood up, wiped his eyes, and looked in Chew's direction. "HOLD UP, YOU FISH BASTARD!" he shouted. Chew stopped in his tracks, which made Usopp jump in terror.

"Oh? Still alive huh? Chu." Chew said as he looked back at Usopp with a bored glare.

"Of course I am! A little water's nothing to me!" Usopp yelled as he fished around in his bag of tricks. Chew looked annoyed as he slowly started walking back.

'The moment I left my village, peace and safety became foreign to me.' Usopp thought. 'Those guys push themselves to the limit everyday, living their lives to the fullest. That's why they laugh so much.' He got his slingshot out and aimed at Chew, who was now starting to run. 'If I don't fight as hard as they do, I won't have any right to travel on the same ship as them.' "I WANT THE RIGHT TO LAUGH WITH THEM!" He shouted as he let loose an exploding star. Chew lunged at him, punching through the explosive star and straight into Usopp's face, smacking his head to the ground before flipping and landing a few feet away as Usopp lay on the ground bleeding.

"Moron. You should've just kept playing dead. Guess you're too dumb to even do that. Chu." Chew said.

"Is...it over?" Usopp asked as he lay bleeding on the ground.

"Yeah. For you!" Chew said as he kicked Usopp's side.

"Knock it off!" Usopp grunted. "USOPP HAMMER!" he shouted as he smashed his hammer into Chew's shin. Chew garbled in pain as Usopp stood up. USOPP RUBBER BAND OF DOOM!" he shouted, making Chew flinch. Chew opened his eyes after a few moments to see that Usopp had disappeared.

"AHHH! I FELL FOR THAT?! CRAP! WHERE'D HE GO?!" Chew shouted before he turned red with embarrassment. "That little prick!"

"CATCH!" Usopp shouted from the trees as a bottle flew towards Chew, who caught it with ease.

"Liquor?"

"Lead Star!" Usopp shouted as the bottle shattered, splashing Chew with glass and booze.

"I've had enough of these tricks! I'll destroy you with my squirt cannon." Chew said as he began sucking up water from the area.

"So what if they're tricks? Doesn't matter." Usopp said. "Usopp the Brave will not run from this fight." He said as Chew, who looked like a bloated whale, aimed his attack at the forest.

"SQUIRT CANNON!" he shouted as he blasted all the water at the forest, destroying all the trees in his path. Usopp looked on in terror while Chew just stared in disbelief that Usopp revealed himself. "Dumbass. TIME TO DIE! SQUIRT MACHINE GUN!"

"CRAP! HOW'D HE FIND ME?!" Usopp shouted as hundreds of little water droplets blasted away at the tree he was hiding behind. "CRAP! THIS IS BAD! I WENT OUT TO SEA TO BE A REAL PIRATE! TO BE A BRAVE WARRIOR OF THE SEA! MY DAYS JUST PLAYING PIRATE ARE OVER!" he shouted as Chew kicked the tree he was hiding behind in half and caught it in mid-air.

"What's over?" Chew asked with a grin.

"This fight!" Usopp said as he rolled away before aiming at Chew with his slingshot. "Booze is flammable! USOPP FLAMING STAR!" he shouted as Chew was soon enveloped in flames.

"AHHHH! HOT! FIRE! HOT! HOT! WATER! I NEED WATER! WATER! WATER! WATER!" Chew shouted as he ran for the nearby wetlands with Usopp right behind him. Usopp jumped into the air right at Chew.

"USOPP! HAMMER!" he shouted before knocking Chew down in the wetlands. He soared over to the other side before he hit the ground and skid to a stop. He got back up to see Chew lying down in the water before he started getting back up.

"Bastard!" Chew grunted, sending Usopp into a terror induced frenzy with his hammer and a rubber band. By the time he was done, Chew's head was covered with bumps as he lay there crying and unconscious. Usopp looked to the sky with his hammer in hand breathing heavily before he felt backwards into the water.

'I did it...I beat a fishman!' he thought. "EVEN I CAN DO IT IF I TRY! DON'T UNDERESTIMATE ME, YOU BASTARD!" he shouted. "I AM USOPP, THE PIRATE!"

()()()()

'No way.' Nojiko thought as she just stared at the scene. 'They're actually defeating the fishmen. This is...unreal.'

"THAT'S IT!" Arlong yelled as pushed himself off the ground, flinging Luffy off as well. "Hachi...Kuroobi...I've had enough of you vermin hurting my fishman brethren!"

"ARLONG!" came a shout from behind the crowd. Everyone looked to see Nami glaring at Arlong.

"Well if it isn't Nami?" Arlong said. "What are you doing here?"

"I've come here to kill you."

* * *

A/N: That's another chapter for you all.


	20. The Fall of Arlong Park

"SHAHAHAHAHA! Kill me?!" Arlong laughed. "How many times have have you tried Nami? Poison. Assassination. Each time you've tried, only to fail." Nami and all the villagers flinched at those words. "Face it Nami," Arlong said with a horrible grin that terrified her to the core. "You'll be nothing but my cartographer for the rest of your days."

"Shut it, fishman." Sanji said as he and Zoro stood up. Both were bleeding heavily, but still able to fight. Arlong only grinned at them.

"Pitiful humans. I don't even need to touch you to beat you." Arlong said as he raised his hand, which was full of water."

"Shut up!" Sanji roared as he ran up and aimed a kick at Arlong.

"Hold it Sanji!" Luffy yelled, but it was too late. Arlong dodged the kick and threw the water at Sanji, who fell back and was now in a daze.

'What the fuck?! All he did was throw water at me, but it's like I was hit by a shotgun blast!' Sanji thought.

"Sanji!" Nami yelled, along with other villagers.

"Stay back guys." Luffy said as he stepped forward and cracked his knuckles. "Arlong's mine." Everyone grew quiet as both of them glared at each other.

"Do you know the difference between you and me?" Arlong asked.

"Nose?" Luffy asked, earning some funny looks from everyone. "Jaw? Webbing?"

"SPECIES!" Arlong yelled as he tried to bite Luffy. Luffy didn't even move as Arlong got Luffy's shoulder in his jaw.

"LUFFY!" Nami screamed as all the villagers feared the worst. But that soon changed to disbelief as Arlong jumped back, holding his mouth while screaming in pain.

"WHAT?!" nearly everyone yelled as Luffy looked at them all. His shoulder was black with some of Arlongs teeth stuck in them.

'Black?' Most of them thought as Luffy merely took the teeth from his shoulder and tossed them aside.

"Now's he's lost his teeth!" Usopp shouted, who just now showed up at the hole Sanji made earlier.

"Usopp?" Nami said as she looked at him.

"Fool!" Arlong said as he grew knew teeth, shocking everyone.

"How'd he get new teeth?" Johnny asked.

"I'm a shark. New teeth grow back naturally." Arlong said, before he began to pull his teeth out and grow new ones. "This is the power the heavens have blessed me with." he said as he held up his hands, each with a pair of his teeth in them.

"Hmph." Luffy said with a grin. "Is that all?" Luffy asked. Arlong just sneered before he lunged at Luffy, who didn't move again as Arlong's weapons broke in his hands. Luffy smiled before balling his hand into a fist. "Useless." He then punched Arlong in jaw, nearly breaking it as he flew into the water. Everyone cheered at that before a grunting sound caught their attention.

"Nyuuuu." Hachi said as he regained consciousness. "How dare you...rotten humans?" Hachi said as he rose to his feet. "I'll teach you to attack us!" he said as he began to swing his arms around wildly, punching randomly as he ran towards Luffy. Everyone watched in fear, while Luffy stared as Hachi swung, but then stopped when his wounds opened up and he stumbled into the water out cold once again. Some sweatdropped at that as a few shouted about a shark fin broke the surface of the water.

"Luffy! The water!" Usopp shouted. Luffy looked to see the shark fin sink below the water. Luffy watched the water with a blank expression, while Arlong looked up at Luffy with a grin.

"Idiot." Arlong said. "With the water, I'm even stronger!" He then sped toward Luffy at great speeds. "SHARK ON DART!" he screamed as he shot out of the water at Luffy. He went straight for Luffy's chest, but stopped in mid-air. "WHAT?!" Arlong screamed as he, Luffy's crew, and the villagers were watched in complete disbelief.

"Not fast enough." Luffy said in a calm voice. Just before impact, Luffy grabbed Arlong by the nose and was now holding him in the air. He then raised his other hand before punching Arlong straight into the iron gate of Arlong Park. Arlong left a huge dent in the gate, while Luffy merely smirked as he began tossing something up and down in the air. "Hey Arlong!" he called out as he held up something in the air. "Is this yours?"

Everyone looked to see that Luffy was now holding Arlong's saw nose in his hand. Everyone cheered again while Arlong just kept his eyes to the water. Luffy's smile faded when his haki picked up on Arlong's killing intent.

"INFERIOR HUMAN FILTH!" Arlong screamed as his eyes changed into ones seen on Sea Kings when they snap. Arlong jumped into the water and began swimming towards Luffy. "HOW DARE YOU DO THIS TO A SUPERIOR FISHMAN?!" he shrieked as he jumped out of the water and aimed a punch at Luffy. Luffy jumped out of the way as Arlong kept going and struck the wall of Arlong park. Luffy's eyes widen as he remembered what was going to happen next. Sure enough, Arlong pulled out a giant weapon that looked like a giant saw.

"The Saw Blade!" Nami screamed as Arlong jumped to attack Luffy. Luffy disappeared and reappeared on the upper level, even with Arlong still attacking him with his weapon. Finally, they were on the top floor when Luffy jumped through the window. He slowly stood up before taking another look around. His eyes narrowed at seeing this room come back.

"You've nowhere to go now human!" Arlong said as he walked through the broken window, saw blade in hand. "This is the end."

"This room..." Luffy said.

"This is the room where Nami made all these wonderful maps." Arlong said as he looked around.

"I know." Luffy said as he glared at Arlong. "She told me everything."

"Did she now?" Arlong asked in amusement. "Then you should know how important she is to my ambitions? We fishmen can easily gather information about the ocean. Turning it into a map is another. She has a gift." Arlong was still talking, but Luffy stopped listening as he noticed a pen fall towards the floor. He stretched his arm over and grabbed it before it hit the ground before bringing it to his face. His eyes were shadowed as he stared at the pen as Arlong held his weapon at Luffy, his neck between two of the blades. "Do you understand rubber man? She has her place in the world, and it's by my side. Do you think that you can ever use her as well as I can?"

Luffy tensed at those words. Just like last time, he felt his anger soar beyond comprehension as he dropped the pen, letting it fall to the ground with a clack. He then held onto one of the blades with one hand, which wiped Arlong's smirk off his face. Luffy tightened his grip on the blade before it shattered, startling Arlong.

"WHAT?!" Arlong shouted before Luffy looked up and glared at him.

"USE HER?!" Luffy yelled as he released a wave of Haki.

()()()()

Outside, everyone stared at the room Luffy and Arlong disappeared into. They wondered what was happening before they all felt their spirits freeze. A few were passing out, scaring the others. While the villagers didn't know what was happening, Nami and the rest of the crew knew what that was.

"Luffy." Nami said before a crash could be heard. Everyone looked to see a desk falling from the room, which was soon followed by other bits of furniture and thousands of maps. Everyone was staring at the scene as Nami's hand went to her mouth as she cried at the sight. "Thank you."

()()()()

"You...rubber bastard!" Arlong grunted as he was now being held up by Luffy.

"I don't care about any of that. Nami's maps or your race's superiority." Luffy said before he threw Arlong into the wall. "But I do know one thing." he said as he glared at Arlong with nothing but fury in his face. "So long as this room exists, Nami can never be happy. So I'm gonna destroy it all!" Luffy then raised his foot up through the ceiling, ready to take Arlong Park down once again.

"Fool! Arlong Park cannot be destroyed by some inferior human!" Arlong said before he started another attack. "SHARK ON TOOTH!" he shouted as he spun at a high speed toward Luffy. Luffy didn't even flinch as he brought his foot down.

"BATTLE AXE!" he screamed as Arlong's attack hit him but did nothing. Luffy brought his foot down onto Arlong, screaming the whole time as Arlong was sent crashing through each floor until he hit the bottom one. He pulled his foot back up as the building around him collapsed.

* * *

Sorry it's short. Till next time!


	21. PARTY!

A/N: Warning! Lemon! Second Warning! First time writing a Lemon!

* * *

Everyone watched as Arlong Park crumbled in on itself with a deafening roar, then silence filled the area.

"What happened?"

"Who won?"

"Is Luffy okay?"

Everyone stared from outside the gate for anything to happen. Then, Luffy emerged from the rubble, completely unscathed.

"LUFFY!" Nami cried out in joy.

"BIG BROOOO!" Johnny and Yosaku screamed with tears in their eyes. Luffy just stood there on top of the rubble.

"Is he okay?" Usopp asked. Luffy stood still until he took a deep breath.

"NAMI!" Luffy screamed out. Everyone froze as they looked at Luffy. "NAMI, YOU'LL ALWAYS BE MY FRIEND!" Luffy yelled at the top of his lungs. Nami just stared at him with wide eyes before she started to tear up.

"Yeah." she said with a smile as the tears fell. The other Straw Hats smiled as well while the villagers started to let everything they've just seen sink in.

"He won?"

"He won!"

"We won!"

"BIG BRO WON!"

"ARLONG PARK HAS FALLEN!" someone yelled out. Soon the whole village cried out in joy as they cheered. Finally, after eight long years, they were all finally free.

"Isn't that great sis?" Sanji asked as he tried to hug Nojiko, but missed when she hugged Genzo.

"Am I dreaming? To think this day has finally come." Genzo said as the villagers started tossing Luffy into the air, too happy to be free.

"You did it Luffy! You deserve the praise!" Usopp shouted out. "But if wanna share some of it, I'd be glad!"

"Jeez." Sanji said as he watched everyone. "Next time, be quicker about it." The cheering stopped for a second when everyone slipped and Luffy hit the ground. The good mood came back when Luffy started laughing, with everyone laughing as well.

"Huh?" Luffy said as he felt his straw hat being placed on his head. He looked back to see Nami smiling at him. Both stood up and gave each other a high-five. Everyone cheered and danced where they were.

"That's enough celebrating." came a voice. Everyone looked to see Captain Nezumi and a few dozen marines behind him aiming their guns at everyone. Everyone glared as Nezumi laughed. "Chi chi chi chi. I saw the whole thing. Never did I think that a bunch of no-name pirates would defeat Arlong. But this is good news. All the money of Arlong Park now belongs to me." He then pointed at Nami. "And also, there's still the deal with your thievery." Everyone looked ready to kill Nezumi when he said that. "Everyone, drop your weapons. I, Captain Nezumi of the Marines, will be taking the credit for everything here." he said before he started screaming in terror.

"It's not nice to be a wet blanket when everyone's having fun." Zoro said with a grin as he had Nezumi's head in his hand.

()()()()

"I'm a Captain in the marines." Nezumi mumbled in pain as he and all his marines were tied up, bleeding, broken, and crying with all the Strawhat men standing behind them. "Lay one finger on me. See what happens." Nami then came over with her staff in hand.

"This is for trying to take my money." she said before she smacked him with her staff. Nezumi flew across the water before sinking.

"Nice shot sis." Nojiko said.

"He deserves 1,000 more beatings!" Genzo said as Nezumi came back up to breathe. Nami walked over to him and started pulling the whiskers on his face.

"Listen very carefully, because I'm only going to say this once." she said in a calm voice.

"Okay. I'm listening." Nezumi squeaked out.

"The money in Arlong Park belongs to the villagers." she said. "And you're not to touch the money in my mother's tangerine grove. You are going to clean up this mess and take care of Arlong and his men though."

"Right. I understand." Nezumi said.

"Good. Now get off our island!" she shouted as she let his whiskers go. He swam off a bit before turning around.

"You'll pay for this! You there! The one with the straw hat! You said your name is Monkey D. Luffy. Correct?!"

"That's right." Luffy said.

"You'll get what's coming to you ! Mark my words!" Nezumi shouted before he swam away. As Luffy and his crew started talking, Genzo spoke up.

"What are you all waiting for?" he shouted. "We can't keep this to ourselves! Spread the word to the whole island! ARLONG PARK IS NO MORE!"

"YEEEEAAAAAH!" they all shouted before they took off to share the good news with everyone.

()()()()

The party was in full swing. Dancing, singing, music, and everyone smiling and laughing their hearts out. Everyone was happy, despite the painful screams coming from the doctor's clinic.

"Dumbass!" the doctor said as he held Zoro down. Gin was sitting on a different bed with a few bandages while the doctor was trying to stitch up Zoro's wound. "Why were you moving around with a would like this? Don't you morons have a doctor on your ship?"

"A doctor huh?" Luffy said as he popped up in the window. "Good idea. But a musician first."

"Why?" Zoro grunted.

"Pirates love to sing of course." Luffy said before turning to Sanji. "What were you eating before?"

"Ham melon. It should be in the party somewhere." Sanji said.

"Arlight!" Luffy said as he raced off with food in his hands. Sanji then went to charm some ladies while Usopp started telling stories about his brave fight against the fishmen.

"This is one crazy crew." Gin said with a grin.

"You get used to it-OWWW!" Zoro yelled.

"Quit moving!" yelled the doctor.

()()()()

It was the third day since Arlong's defeat, yet everyone was still partying like there was no tomorrow. Usopp, Gin, Zoro, and Sanji were all enjoying the party as Johnny and Yosaku danced around.

Back at the cliff, Genzo was standing before Bellemere's grave as he poured a bottle of sake onto it. "We're finally free." he said. "Your daughters have grown into fine young woman Bellemere."

"A grave?" Luffy asked, startling Genzo. "Someone died?"

"Oh. It's you boy." he said. "Yes. Many years ago."

"I see. I give you my con...condo...um." Luffy said, trying to remember the words.

"Condolences." Genzo said.

"Right." Luffy said.

"Listen boy." Genzo said as Luffy was about to leave. "Nami's joining you on your crew. That much I know. It's dangerous out there, but it's her choice. However, if any of you do anything to take away her smile, I'll kill you." he said in a low tone.

"We won't take her smile away." Luffy said.

"You sure?!" Genzo said as he turned and glared at Luffy.

"I'm sure." Luffy said with a smile. He then walked off while Genzo stayed with the grave, remembering what he, Nami, and Nojiko spoke about earlier there.

"Where is Nami anyway?" Luffy asked himself before he used his haki. "Found her." he said before disappearing.

()()()()

"It's finally over Bellemere." Nami said to herself as she sat in her empty house. "After eight years, everyone's finally smiling again." She came her earlier for her mother's advice, and to show her mother her new tattoo of a pinwheel with a tangerine on it. "I just wish...you were here." she said as a tear fell from her eye. Suddenly, a knocking at the door brought her out of thoughts.

"Nami? Are you in there?" came Luffy's voice.

"Yeah. Come in." she said. Luffy slowly walked in with a chunk of meat hanging from his mouth as he smiled.

"Hey Nami. What are you doing here? Not enjoying the party?" he asked.

"Nah. I came here to think." she said.

"Oh." he said before finishing off the food he had. "Want me to leave?"

"No. Actually, I'm glad you came. I wanted to talk to you." she said. Luffy smiled as he closed the door and sat down next to her.

"About what?" he said.

"That scar that you have." she said as she pointed at his chest. "What happened?" Luffy froze as a grim look came over his face. He looked down at his chest with a sigh.

"It's...well..." Luffy said.

"Hard to talk about?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"Never mind then." she said.

"Is that all you wanted to talk about?" he asked as he stood up.

"No, there's something else." she said as she also stood up.

"Really? Like wh-" he said before Nami's lips pressed against his. Luffy's eyes shot open as his heart started racing. He stood there for a second before he slowly pulled her into a warm embrace before closing his eyes. After a moment, she pulled away with a smile.

"I've wanted to do that the moment you said you'd defeat Arlong." she said. Luffy couldn't hide the blush coming to his face as he held Nami close to him.

"Really?" Luffy asked as he felt his insides warm up. She nodded with a smile before he leaned over and kissed her back. Nami closed her eyes as they both held each other. Luffy felt something burn inside him as his mind seemed to slowly stop functioning. He felt Nami's tongue against his lips, asking for entrance. He didn't know what was happening, but everything felt right as he opened his mouth. He felt her tongue touch his tongue before they started to battle for dominance. It took some doing, but he eventually won as his tongue now explored every last bit of her mouth. They broke away for air as they looked into each other's eyes, both panting before a smile tugged at both of their lips. Nami's smile however showed that she knew something. "What?"

"Don't think I didn't notice you eyeing me Luffy." she said. Luffy's eyes widened a bit before he sighed in defeat.

"Was it wrong to do that?" he asked. Nami couldn't help but laugh.

"No, you idiot." she said as took his hand. "This way." she said as he pulled him to her old bedroom. It had two small beds, a table, some drawings of maps, and a few toys.

"Nice bedroom." Luffy said as he looked around. Most wouldn't be impressed, but seeing as he grew up with mountain bandits, Luffy's views were different.

"It's nothing." she said as she closed the door behind them. She then walked over and sat on her bed before she gazed at Luffy. "Sit." she said with a smile. Luffy slowly walked over as whatever gears there were in his head slowly began to turn. He sat down next to her before he kicked his sandals off. He felt his heart beat faster when Nami leaned over and kissed him again, which soon turned into a passionate kiss as they embraced each other. Their tongues danced as they slowly laid onto the bed, with Nami over Luffy. Luffy placed his hat onto the nearby table before holding Nami again. They stopped for air while Nami began to unbutton Luffy's vest.

"Nami?" Luffy said as he looked up at her. "What are you-"

"Shh." she said as she placed a finger on his lips. "You'll see." She then began to undo the buttons again. After she was done, she slipped his vest off before droppiing it off the side of the bed. She stared down at him, examining his body with a smile.

"What?" Luffy asked as he looked up at her with a slight blush. She only shook her head.

"Nothing." she said before she looked back at him. "It's just that you look so scrawny, yet you're strong enough to beat Arlong so easily." she said as she glided her fingertips over his chest. Luffy shuddered from the touch as his eyes closed, which caused a small smile to grace Nami's lips. "Like it?"

"Yeah." he said in a quiet whisper, not realizing where his hand was going.

"Luffy." Nami said as she stopped her hands. Luffy opened his eyes to see Nami's eye shadowed by her bangs. He looked a little confused before she spoke up. "Your hand." Luffy then looked at his right hand, which was on her hip.

"What's wrong with it?" he asked.

"Your other hand." she said.

"My other...hand?" he said before his eyes opened further, now seeing that his left hand was on her butt. "Oh...ehh." Luffy said as he looked back at Nami, slowly not liking the silence as he started to sweat before he took his hands away from her. "Oops?" he said, hoping she wouldn't beat him until he was a bloody mess. He stared up in fear before Nami smiled.

"Tonight." she said.

"Huh?" Luffy asked, now trully baffled that she wasn't killing him. She looked at him, still smiling with a small blush on her face.

"Just for tonight, it's okay." she said. It took a moment for her words to sink in before he slowly placed his hand back on her ass, which caused her to moan and blush even more. Luffy blushed as well as he slowly placed his other hand on her ass.

"It's soft Nami." he said as he looked back up at her, a smile on his face. Nami giggled at that before she moaned loudly when he gave her butt a tiny squeeze. "Did I hurt you?" he asked, not knowing if it was good or bad to do that, despite liking the noise she made.

"No." she said before she sat back up on top of him. "But if you thought that was soft," she said as she slowly lifted her shirt up. "Then these will be much softer." She then pull her shirt all the way off, revealing a white bra underneath as she dropped her shirt next to the bed. "Go ahead." she said. Luffy blushed as he slowly reached up to her breasts, but stopped just before touching them. "Hmm?" Nami said as she looked at him.

"You're not gonna charge me a ridiculous amount of money, are you?" Luffy asked, earning him a hard slap to the face. "Ow."

"Only if you ask that again." Nami said, annoyed that he ask something like that. She sighed before calming down as Luffy rubbed his cheek, then brought his hand up to her breasts. He gently placed his hand on her left breast, earning another moan from Nami. He blushed immensly as his hand cupped her breast before moving it around in tiny circles, causing Nami to moan shudder.

"They are softer." he said as he brought his other hand up, cupping both breasts. Nami closed her eyes as she held her back as Luffy continued to fondle her breasts. He then gave them a light squeeze, earning a cry of pleasure from Nami. He smiled before he removed his hands and sat up."

"Luffy? What are y-whoa!" Nami said before Luffy grabbed her and spun them both around so that she was lying down on the bed. He smiled down at her with his usual 'shishishishi' laugh before he grabbed her boobs again. Nami blushed again before grabbing Luffy's hands. "Hold on." she said before she sat up a bit and reach behind her back. Luffy looked with a blank stare as he heard something snap behind her. His eyes widened when her bra fell off, leaving him with a full view of her boobs. She smiled as she placed her bra next to her shirt. "That's better."

"Wow!" Luffy said, unable to look away as his hands cupped her breasts once again. This time though, the feeling of direct skin sent both of their senses into overdrive. His hands slowly squeezed as the silky feeling of her breasts enticed him to no end, while Nami swore she felt an electric current running though her. Without thinking, he brought his head closer before he had the lower half of his face sinking into her cleavage. He looked up into her eyes before they both smiled.

"Comfy?" she asked as she put her arms around head, making him sink a bit further.

"Very." Luffy said before he pulled his head up a bit. He looked at her breasts before a smile came to his lips.

"What are you-Kyaaa!" she said as Luffy flicked one of her nipples with his tongue. She moaned in pleasure as he kept licking her nipple before taking it into his mouth. Nami cried out in pleasure as Luffy licked, sucked, and gently bit her nipple before removing his lips, only to do the same to her other breast. "Luffy...that's...driving me crazy." she said as she tried to catch her breath. He sat back up with a smile until his eyes caught something.

"Hey, your tattoo is different." Luffy said as he saw Nami's new tattoo.

"Yeah." she said through her heavy breathing. "I had it changed. You like it?"

"Yeah." he said as he brought his hand up to it to gently trace it with his fingers. "It's 1,000 times better than that Arlong one." He bent down and kissed her again as his hands went back to her breasts, smiling as her tongue was feeling around inside his mouth this time. She pulled back with a smile, confusing Luffy. "What?"

"Someone's excited." she said, looking down at Luffy's shorts. He looked down as well to notice the bulge in his shorts.

'Huh, that's new.' he thought as Nami gently pushed him off of her. She sat up and reached down to Luffy's shorts. "What are you doing Nami?" he asked.

"Getting to the fun part." she said without even looking at him. She slowly undid his shorts before sliding them off, but suddenly stopped when she saw his erect member. "That's...wha?" she said, unable to understand how he could be so big. Luffy looked to see his pecker had grown to 9 inches.

"It grew." Luffy said, equally surprised, but for different reasons. Until now, that part of him never grew. "Wonder why?" he said as Nami was getting over her shock a bit as a smile came to her lips.

"Close your eyes." she said.

"Huh?"

"Just do it, and don't open them. It's a surprise." she said, giving him no chance to argue. Luffy laid back down and closed his eyes, not know what Nami was planning. He got his answer though when he felt something touch the tip and he gripped the bed sheets.

'What was that?!' he asked mentally. He wanted to open his eyes, but kept them closed out of fear of what Nami might do. Then, he felt something completely cover his tip of his penis. He then felt Nami slowly took his member into her mouth, keeping herself from gagging. She then began to bob her head up and down while making slurping sounds. It was driving Luffy insane as his mind tried to wrap around what was happening. It was a lost cause as he felt his mind slip at how amazing it felt. He felt her go faster before he felt something strange well up inside him. "Nami. I feel...something coming." he managed to say. Nami only went faster before Luffy lost it completely and felt something come out of his pecker and into her mouth. He laid there as Nami drink whatever it was until it stopped. He couldn't describe how amazing that felt as Nami slowly removed him from her mouth.

"You can open your eyes now Luffy." Nami said. Luffy slowly opened his eyes, clearly still in a daze.

"That...was...incredible." he said in a daze. Nami gave him a sexy grin.

"Glad you liked it." she said before she began to remove her skirt. "My turn."

"Huh?" Luffy asked as Nami slid off her skirt and panties before laying next to Luffy.

"You'll figure it out." she said as she lay before him completely naked. Luffy blushed as he stared at her from head to toe, stopping at her womanhood.

"Oh." Luffy said, his instincts kicking in before he moved his head between her legs. "Like this?"

"Yes." Nami said as moved her legs apart for him to see. Luffy looked to see it glistening as he reached up and traced his finger around her sex, earning a pleasured moan from Nami before sticking his finger inside. "Ahhh." Nami cried out in pleasure as Luffy looked at his coated finger. Being Luffy, he licked the substance, instantly finding it tasty before he leaned down and licked Nami. "Luffy." Nami moaned as Luffy pressed his lips against her pussy as he began to eat her out. She bit her thumb to keep from screaming out as Luffy's tongue kept going in and out. She closed her legs around Luffy's head as she felt heat build up inside her. "Luffy...I'm going to-Ahhhh!" Nami said as she arched her back. Juices began to flow out of her while Luffy did his best to get every drop. After she was done, Luffy lapped up what was left before looking up at Nami. Nami looked back at him with a smile.

"You taste great Nami." Luffy said with a blush and a grin. Nami's face went red as she tried to catch her breath.

"Luffy." Nami said as she looked him straight in the eye. "Take me."

"Take...you?" Luffy said.

"You put that into here." Nami said as she pointed at his penis and her vagina. Luffy looked down at his hardening member before getting the idea.

"Oh." he said as he spread her legs apart. He fully removed his shorts as he got into position before Nami held a finger up.

"Wait a moment." she said, gaining his attention. "Remember that strange feeling you had earlier?"

"You mean when your mouth was-"

"Yes. That one." she said. "Before that happens again, no matter what, pull out."

"Okay." Luffy said as he looked back down. He slowly placed the tip into her, earning a moan before he went further until he felt a barrier inside her. "It stopped."

"You...push through." Nami said as she braced herself. Luffy slowly kept going until he broke through, making Nami wince a little as blood started to slowly trickle out of her.

"Nami." Luffy said in worry.

"It's okay Luffy." Nami said as she gave him a calm smile. "That's supposed to happen on the first time." Luffy still looked worried, thinking that he'd hurt her, but slowly kept pushing through. Soon, all of him was inside her.

"It feels weird, but amazing." he said. He slowly pulled out before going back in, earning a pleasured yelp from Nami.

"Keep going...just like that." Nami said. Luffy smiled before he slowly got an even rhythm going, sending both of them into a state of pure bliss. Luffy looked down at Nami as a sheen of sweat formed on her skin, which glistened in the moonlight from the window. Nami couldn't stop the moans from escaping her as Luffy sped up a little.

"You're tight in there Nami." Luffy said as he kept drilling Nami. His heart was beating so fast, he felt like he entered second gear.

"Faster Luffy." Nami moaned. Luffy did so, causing her to scream in pleasure. He kept pounding her until that feeling returned.

"Nami...I feel it again."

"Remember to-to pull out before it happens!" Nami yelled as she felt another orgasm coming as well. Luffy kept going until he hit a certain spot, sending Nami over the edge as she screamed out Luffy's name.

Luffy felt the walls close around him before he pulled out as his cum shot out of him, landing on Nami's belly. Both then collapsed from exhaustion as they laid there for awhile trying to catch their breaths. Finally, Luffy sat up and looked at Nami, who was smiling up at him. "Whatever that was, that was incredible." Luffy said. "What did we just do Nami?" Nami just looked at him before she sighed.

"Looks like no one has ever told you about sex." Nami said as she sat up.

"Sex?"

"Yes." she said as she looked at his confused face before sighing again. "I guess I'll have to explain, won't I?"

"Yeah, because I don't understand." Luffy said. Nami giggled before she began to explain, neither of them noticing a purple haired figure moving away from the window.

()()()()

Back at the party, everyone was enjoying themselves with their freedom. Sanji was wooing some ladies before he stopped in his tracks.

"What's wrong with you brother cook?" Yosaku asked with chopsticks up his nose.

"I don't know why, but I have this sudden urge to kill that shit head of a captain of mine." he said as he bit down on his cigarette.

* * *

A/N: How did I do? Excellent? Horrible? In between?


	22. New Crewmates! Off to the Grand Line!

A/N: Thank you all for you reviews. I'll learn from them. Also, I realized that I got it wrong. It's icy blue, not purple. ON WITH THE STORY!

Everyone was gathering at the port to see the Straw hats off. The crew were loading up supplies as people were seeing them off and thanking them again for what they did. All the while this was happening, Luffy was running a few things in his mind without frying it from overuse. Especially last nights events.

-Flashback-

Luffy and Nami were cleaning themselves up and getting dressed after their night together.

"See you in morning Nami." Luffy said when he got dressed and was heading for the door. He waved goodbye, but missed the door handle. They both looked to see Nojiko standing in the doorway smiling.

"N-Nojiko?" Nami said in confusion as Luffy had a blank look.

"Hi." Luffy said as Nojiko walked in and sat at the table. "Well, I'm going back to the party. Later."

"Hold it." Nojiko said, stopping Luffy in his tracks. "I have a request."

"A request?" Luffy said as he turned to her, looking as confused as Nami. Nojiko looked at Luffy before smiling again. "I'd like to come with you on your journey."

"Huh?"

"Eh?"

"You heard me." Nojiko said. "I'd like to be a Straw Hat pirate."

"EEHHH?!" Nami shrieked.

"Sure." Luffy said with a blank look on his face.

"LUFFY?!" Nami yelled before she pushed him out of the house. "Give us a minute!" she said before she slammed the door. Luffy was confused, but listened in from the door. "What are you talking about Nojiko? Why would you want to come along?!"

"That Luffy kid interests me." she said as if it were a common fact. "That, and I need to make sure my little sister's safe."

"Of course I'm safe." Nami said. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"You were screaming." she said.

"Screami-" Nami said before her words died in her throat. "H...how did...?"

"I saw from the window." she said, making Nami sweat a bit before she hung her head.

"How much?"

"I got here...when he was admiring your new tattoo." she said as Nami sighed. "Good thing there was a party, or everyone would've heard you."

"Alright, I get it." Nami said in frustration. Nojiko only smiled before she stood up and went for the door.

"Also," she said. "I wanna personally see you make your dream a reality Nami." Nami smiled at her sister's concern before Nojiko opened the door, seeing Luffy stand next to the doorway. "So then Luffy, may I call you Captain?" she asked.

-Flashback ends-

"We're almost ready Captain." Nojiko said as she stepped out of the cabin of the Going Merry. She had a holster to her hip with a single flintlock pistol and a knife in a small sheath to her left leg.

"Alright." Luffy said as Sanji danced around, thrilled at the idea of Nojiko coming along.

"Oh yeah. Luffy." Sanji said before giving Luffy a hard kick to the back of his head. Luffy's body stayed put, but his head flew over the ship a few hundred feet before coming back with a bump.

"What was that for?" Luffy asked in irritation.

"I don't know." he said before he looked out at the town. "Where's Nami?" he asked.

"She's getting ready." Nojiko said as she gazed at her home one last time. As she did, the villagers were chatting about a few things. Why Nojiko was leaving, why Nami left all that money to them, and other things.

"Big Bro!" shouted Johnny and Yosaku from inside the crowd. Everyone looked to see them both with serious expressions on their faces.

"What's up you guys?" Luffy asked as Zoro noticed that each of them had a small bag next to them.

"We thought it over Big Bro." Johnny said.

"What are they talking about Luffy?" Gin asked.

"I asked them to join." Luffy said.

"What?!" some of the crew asked.

"Yeah. That was our reaction as well." Yosaku said.

"So what's the answer?" Luffy asked. Johnny and Yosaku looked at each other before smiling at Luffy.

"We're in." they said.

"YAHOO!" Luffy yelled. "My crew is bigger now!" He began to dance around as Johnny and Yosaku grabbed their things and came aboard.

"Never thought you guys would join." Zoro said.

"I originally became a bounty hunter because one saved my village when I was a kid." Johnny said. "I did it because I wanted to help others like that bounty hunter did. But after seeing you guys fight for a village you owed nothing to, I thought 'Why not? These guys aren't bad'."

"Yeah. And I always wanted an easy life." Yosaku said. "But now that I think about it, being pirate sounds fun. Dangerous, but fun."

"Alright then." Zoro said as Luffy kept dancing around.

"SET THE SAIL!" Nami shouted from down the road. Everyone looked to see her start running towards them all.

"What's she doing?" Gin asked.

"Saying goodbye to her home her own way." Luffy said. "You heard her guys. Cast off!"

"Aye Captain!" they all said as they started unfurling the sails.

"Nami wait!" Genzo said as he shoved his way through the crowd. "You're leaving without saying goodbye?!" Nami ignored him as she kept on running.

"Let's go!" Luffy shouted as the sails caught the wind. Zoro pulled up the anchor and they began to pull away from the port.

"NAMI!" Genzo shouted as Nami was now weaving around everyone in town. Up, down, left, right, running past them all before making a running jump to the ship. She landed on the railing with all the villagers shocked that she would leave without saying goodbye. Nami just stood there before lifting her shirt a bit, letting wallets and coin purses fall around her feet.

"Huh?" some of the villagers said before they checked their pockets and realized that they've all been robbed. Nami pulled some money out of a wallet, kissed it, then winked at everyone.

"Thanks a bunch everyone." she said.

"YOU LITTLE THIEF!" everyone shouted at her before tons of them demanded that she return their stuff.

"Should we be worried?" Johnny asked.

"Yes." Zoro and Usopp said in unison.

"Typical Nami." Nojiko said as Luffy laughed, Sanji gave her a thumbs up, Yosaku just stared, and Gin looked ready to fall at that.

"YOU ROTTEN THIEF! WE'LL MISS YOU BOTH!" the townspeople shouted. Nami and Nojiko waved at them all.

"Goodbye everyone!" Nami and Nojiko shouted to them all.

"BOY!" Genzo shouted, getting Luffy's attention. "REMEMBER WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT!" Luffy smiled before giving him a thumbs up.

"Hey Captain Luffy." Nojiko said as she pointed to the island. "Hope you don't mind, but I convinced the villagers to put that up for you." Everyone followed her finger off to the distance. Luffy squinted before a huge grin came to his face. Flying in the distance where Arlong Park once stood was a tall pole, bearing the flag of the Straw Hat Pirates.

"That's so awesome!" he shouted. Nami turned to them all with a smile.

"Alright everyone. It's time to set sail to the Grand Line!" she said.

"YEAH!" everyone shouted.

()()()()

Some time earlier.

"This is Captain Nezumi of the 16th Marine Branch calling Marine Headquarters! Code #00733." Nezumi shouted over the transponder snail.

"This is Marine Headquarters. Stop shouting already." said the marine on the other line.

"I'm calling to inform you all about a pirate named Monkey D. Luffy! He wears a straw hat, has five people on his crew and effortlessly defeated Arlong. He is highly dangerous, so I'm formally requesting a bounty be placed upon his head! I'm sending a picture now!"

"Alright, we're receiving it now." the marine said.

"Couldn't you take a better picture?" Nezumi asked one of the marines.

"That was all we could get." said the marine. Luffy's picture was the same as last time. While Nezumi complained, the marine at HQ was looking at Luffy's picture before he remembered something.

'A Straw Hat?' he thought before his eyes widened in shock. 'Wait a minute! He couldn't be...' "Alright. We'll inform the higher ups." he said before hanging up. He then grabbed the picture before running through HQ, sweat forming on his face as he ran. 'There's no mistaking it. He matches the description perfectly!' he thought before he came to a higher ranking officer.

"What is the meaning of this?" the officer grunted. The marine was out of breath as he handed him Luffy's picture.

"Sir...I believe...he's the one...from the Goa Incident."

A/N: Short chapter. More next chapter.


	23. The Goa Incident

It had been a day since Luffy and his crew set off from Cocoyashi and everyone were doing their own thing. Gin was keeping an eye out for enemy ships, Johnny and Yosaku were dueling each other, Zoro was taking a nap, Usopp was making his special tobasco star, Nami was arguing with a News Coo about the price of the newspaper, Nojiko was tending to the tangerine trees planted above the cabin, and Luffy was being himself as he tried to get a tangerine, only for Sanji to kick him away right into Usopp, who was splashed in the eyes with his tobasco star.

"Can't I have one?" Luffy asked as Usopp cried out in pain.

"NO!" Sanji shouted as he stood between Luffy and the trees. "These are Nami's and Nojiko's tangerine orchard. I won't let anyone lay a finger on them!" he shouted before his eyes turned into hearts and he looked back and forth between both of them. "Nami! Nojiko! Can you see how well I'm protecting your trees?!"

"Yes Sanji. We can see." Nojiko said as Nami smiled.

"Thank you Sanji. Keep up the good work." Nami called, making Sanji hold his chest as he fell over in happiness.

"Ahh, to be praised by you two is nothing short of utter joy." he said.

'He's whipped.' thought the other crew members.

"Eh, I'm happy." Luffy said before he grinned.

"The world today is a turbulent place." Nami said as she flipped a page in her newspaper. When she did, a small piece of paper fluttered out, getting Luffy's attention. He, Nami, and Usopp watched it flutter to the ground before yelling out.

"NO WAY!" Luffy yelled with a huge grin.

()()()()

Back at Marine Headquaters, elite officers were gathering in a small room to discuss the affairs of East Blue by Lieutenant Commander Brannew.

"aboveBuggy the Clown. Bounty: 15,000,000 berries. Foul-Play Krieg. Bounty: 17,000,000 berries. Saw-Tooth Arlong. Bounty: 20,000,000 berries. All three, which are above the average 3,000,000 bounty for East Blue, were all defeated by the same man. The same one which also caused a major commotion on Dawn Island, in the Kingdom of Goa. Reports say that he achieved all this without taking a single scratch. Therefore, his bounty shall be a new record for East Blue: 48,000,000 berries.

()()()()

"Check it out guys! We're wanted criminals!" Luffy shouted out as he held up his wanted poster. Usopp looked at it as Luffy laughed.

"Wanted: Dead or Alive. 48...48,000,000 berries?!" Usopp shouted in surprise.

"This is so awesome!" Luffy shouted out.

"How can you think that's awesome?!" Nami yelled. "Now we'll be hunted by the Marines and bounty hunters."

"She's right about that big bro." Johnny said. "If we hadn't of met you, we'd probably take a crack at turning your head in ourselves." he said as Yosaku nodded.

"48,000,000." Gin said in an impressed tone.

"Well, no turning back now." Nojiko said as she went back to tending to the trees.

"How are you so calm?" Nami asked, ready to lose her mind.

"What's everyone yelling about?" Zoro asked as he was woken up from his nap. He was shown the reason as Johnny and Yosaku showed him Luffy's wanted poster. "Oh is that all?" he said.

"Check it out. I'm here too!" Usopp shouted out, looking giddy that people around the world would see him.

"What?!" Sanji said as he looked at it. "Where?"

"Right there." Usopp said as he pointed to the back of his head in the poster.

"It's only the back of your head." Sanji said as he pouted on the deck.

"Don't worry brother cook. Just cause enough trouble and you'll eventually get your own." Yosaku said. Sanji cheered up before he started dancing around with Johnny, Yosaku, and Usopp.

"Alright everyone! Let's go the Grand Line!"

"AYE!" they shouted. "LET'S GO TO THE GRAND LINE!" they sang as Nami put her hand to her forehead as she felt a headache coming. She tried to drown out their antics with the paper as she sat back down to read, only for her eye to catch something truly strange.

"Luffy?" she asked, getting his attention.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"What's the 'Goa Incident'?" she asked. Luffy stared at her as the others stopped dancing and looked as well.

"The what now?" Usopp asked.

"We've heard of that." Yosaku said. "But only rumors."

"What's Goa?" Nojiko asked.

"The Kingdom of Goa." Johnny said. "It's located on Dawn Island, and is said to be the most beautiful of all the places in East Blue."

"Sounds boring." Gin said before he looked back out to sea.

"Okay." Sanji said before going for another cigarette. "But what's this 'Goa Incident' that you're talking about Nami?"

"And why are you asking Luffy?" Zoro asked.

"Because according to the paper, the World Government is now saying that Luffy's the cause of it." she said as she read on. "It says that a mysterious man with a straw hat invaded the Kingdom of Goa one year ago." she said before the next part caused her to go wide-eyed before she looked at Luffy. "You attacked the Royal family?!"

"No. Just scared them." Luffy said.

"Why would you do something like that big bro?" Yosaku asked.

"I had my reasons." Luffy said.

"It doesn't sound like something you'd do." Zoro said as he was now looking at Luffy.

"Come on Captain." Nojiko said. "Why?" Luffy stood still as the wind blew around them before he sighed and sat down on the deck.

"I wanted them to know...that they weren't untouchable." he said in a low voice. "If you really want to know, I'll tell you." He left out some details, but told them about what the nobles did and why. All of them were so wrapped up in the story, they didn't notice a marine ship pull up next to them.

"It's you again!" screamed a voice. They all looked to see Fullbody on a marine ship rant about how he was going to capture them. He stopped when they looked at him, making his blood run cold. Each of them were glaring at him, clearly not wanting to deal with him after hearing what happened to Luffy.

"Piss off!" they all said in a low voice, which was enough for Fullbody and all the marines on board to sail away as quickly as possible.

"Still, I can't believe that they'd do something like that." Nojiko said.

"But now that they did, I wanna know what you did to them." Gin asked. Everyone was staring, also interested in what happened as well.

"Like I said. I scared them." Luffy said with a satisfied grin as he told them all what happened a year ago.

()()()()

Luffy, 16, was running away from some guards in Town Center with his cheeks stretched out and stuffed with food.

"GET BACK HERE YOU LITTLE THIEF!" one of the guards yelled before they started shooting at him. Luffy merely smiled before running through an alley. He stretched up to the roof just before the guards came. "Hey, where'd he go?"

"Find him! That little bastard's gonna eat everything in this city until there's nothing left!" another guard yelled before they all went off to look for Luffy. Luffy, who was watching from the roof, merely chewed his food before swallowing and grinning. Whenever he wasn't training with Garp, he'd sneak into the kingdom and steal food from a few restaurants before hiding again. Even though Garp would kick his ass for doing so, it was worth it to see all those nobles and snobs frustrated at him. While on the roof, he saw another restaurant off in the distance.

"One more, then back to the forest." Luffy said before he rocketed off towards the place. He landed on the roof of the building next to it and was about to jump through a window, but stopped when he noticed that it was closed. "That's weird." he said before he looked down and saw a horse drawn cart taking food toward High Town.

"To think that the king asked my restaurant to supply them with food." came a voice. Luffy looked down to see what looked like the owner of the restaurant smiling in glee. "Guess that straw hat wearing thief got to the other restaurants first. Still, thanks to him I was chosen to help cater the feast tonight." he said before walking back in and closing up shop.

"A feast huh?" Luffy said to himself before looking at the castle. "I know where I'm going tonight."

()()()()

Luffy snuck past all the security, and used his haki on those who saw him before they could alert anyone else, before making it to the grand hall. He was hanging off one of the chandeliers as he was looking at all the nobles, the royals, but more importantly, the food.

"Jackpot!" he whispered to himself as some drool ran down his lip. He was about to jump down and devour everything within reach, but was stopped when the king tapped his wine glass with his spoon.

"Your attention everyone." he said, stopping everyone as they looked to him. He smiled as he raised his glass. "As you all know, this feast is to celebrate the anniversary of our good fortune." he said, which caused everyone else to raise their glasses as well. "It was six years ago when a Celestial Dragon blessed us with his presence, despite the slight offense on his arrival due to that strange little nobody that sailed out to sea when they arrived." he finished in a bored tone.

'Sabo.' Luffy thought as he watched them all have the same bored expression, as if his life meant nothing. Luffy glared at them all before he noticed a certain noble amongst the people in at the massive table. He squinted his eyes to confirm his suspicions. 'That's Sabo's old man.'

"Still, all went well." the King continued. "Especially since they found no other flaw in our kingdom." he said. A young man next to him chuckled a bit, gaining everyones attention. "Is something amusing son?"

"Just thinking about those stupid pirates who 'started' the fire years ago." he said in a cocky tone. "Thanks to them, all that trash was burned away." Everyone slowly began to laugh at that as they all raised their glasses again.

"To our Kingdom!" the king said.

"To the Kingdom!" everyone said as they all tipped their glasses up to drink. Sabo's father had his eyes closed as he drink, but opened them just in time to see someone fall down in front of him.

Luffy had jumped from the chandelier and landed with a crash in front of Sabo's father, startling everyone there as they all jumped back in shock. Luffy stayed in a horse stance before slowly rising to his feet.

"What is the meaning of this?!" shouted the King. "Who are you?! Guards! Guards!" Luffy ignored this as he slowly looked up at Sabo's father. When he saw Luffy, he turned a little blue.

"I...impossible." he stuttered. "You can't be alive! You should be dead!" Luffy said nothing as he glared at him.

"Stop right there!" shouted a guard as they all surrounded Luffy. "This is the Grand Royal Hall of-" he said before all the guards fell down, foaming at the mouth. Everyone was stunned as Luffy still glared at the man, who was too paraylzed with fear to move.

"W-Who are you?!" the King asked, trying to hide his fear. Luffy kept his hat down as he looked at the King.

"A survivor of the Terminal Fire." Luffy said in a calm voice. "I heard every word you bastards said." Now a lot of them were turning blue with fear.

"E-e-e-even if that's t-t-true," one of them stuttered, clearly terrified. "N-no one will believe a-a-a nobody like y-you."

"As I am now, no." Luffy said before he showed the a smirk from under his hat. "But one day, the world will know what you all did." he said before he jumped off the table, stretched his hands out, grabbed as much food as he could, and calmly walked out of the castle like he owned the place. "Bye." he said as he ate the food and beat down every guard in his path, leaving all of the royals and nobles to wallow in fear, and bodily fluids in some cases.

()()()()

"How'd you go so long without getting a bounty before now?!" Usopp shrieked.

"They never saw my face." Luffy answered. Half the crew was staring at him in disbelief, the other with grins.

"If you ask me, they got off too easy." Zoro said.

"I agree." Gin said.

"By the way," Nami said. "Who's Sabo?" Luffy explained who Sabo was.

"YOUR BROTHER?!" they all shouted.

"Yeah. He ran away from his parents because they didn't care about him if he couldn't marry someone in the royal family." Luffy said.

"After all that you've told us, it's now hard to believe that a noble can have a heart." Sanji said.

"And those Celestial Dragon's killed him?!" Usopp yelled.

"They said they did, but they also said that a body was never recovered." Luffy said, keeping the fact that Sabo was alive to himself. "So I'm not declaring him dead yet. Anyway Nami, where are we heading to?" he asked. Nami quickly looked over some maps before finding their next destination.

"A place called Louge Town." she said. "They also call it 'the town of the beginning and end' since the last Pirate King Gold Roger was both born and executed there."

"The beginning and the end huh?" Luffy said as he grinned. "Let's go see it. The town that bore Gold Roger."

* * *

A/N: Sorry if the Goa Incident didn't impress you all. I wanted to get their snobby attitude and disregard for life down. What do you all think?


	24. Louge Town

A/N: Thank you all for reading this. I just have a few things to say.

First: To anifan. I'll make sure not to type that again.

Second: To many of you. Shut up about who Luffy should and shouldn't be with. It's getting on my nerves.

Now, on to the story.

* * *

After some sailing, a quick explanation of Reverse Mountain, and most of the crew wishing to throw Luffy overboard to shut him up about getting to where Gold Roger spent his last few moments, the Straw Hats finally made it to Louge Town.

"We're here!" Luffy shouted out when they made port.

"The town where Gold Roger was both born and executed." Johnny said.

"I'm off guys!" Luffy yelled before he jumped ship and ran into the town.

"Luffy! Hold on aaaaaand he's gone." Usopp said.

"Honestly," Nami said with a sigh. "Can't he sit still for five minutes?"

"You've traveled with him longer, so you should know." Nojiko said in a teasing voice.

"Shut up." most of the crew said, making Nojiko laugh before everyone got ready to head into town.

"I'm gonna go pick up some food." Sanji said before he jumped from the ship.

"I'll go look for some supplies." Usopp said.

"I need some new swords, but I'm pretty broke." Zoro mumbled.

"I'll lend you some money at 300% interest." Nami said with an innocent smile.

'Don't do it Zoro.' Nojiko thought with a knowing smirk.

"We'll go with you big bro." Yosaku said as he and Johnny followed Zoro.

"I'll...take a walk." Gin mumbled as he left the ship.

"You okay Gin?" Nojiko asked while following Nami.

"Just...clearning my head." he said before they all walked off.

()()()()

"What's wrong with you big bro?" Johnny asked as the three of them kept walking, looking for a shop to get some new swords.

"Nothing." Zoro said without looking back. Moments ago, the three ran into a blue haired woman who took out two pirates effortlessly before tripping over herself, falling, and dropping her glasses. Zoro picked up her glasses while onlookers laughed before giving them back to her, but nearly crushed them at the sight of her. 'She looked just like her.' Zoro thought before they entered a weapons shop.

"Greetings!" said the owner as he rubbed his hands together with a smile. "We have new blades, old blades, and rare blades! What're ya looking for?"

"I have 100,000 berries. Give me two swords." Zoro said bluntly.

"Only that much?" the owner said, his happy mood deflating at hearing how poor he is. "And you two?" he asked, seeing Johnny and Yosaku.

"Looking for better versions of these blades." Johnny said as he and Yosaku held up their blades.

"Over there." the owner said as he pointed at display case to the right of the store. "And over there are 50,000 berri swords." he told Zoro as he pointed to some barrels to the left of the store. His face lit up in confusion and shock when he noticed Zoro's blade. 'Wait...is that?!' he thought. "Excuse me." he said with a bit of sweat and a force smile on his face. "Do you mind if I see that blade of yours?" he asked. All three looked at him skeptically, but Zoro let him see it. He nearly pissed himself when he saw it was what he thought it was before he calmed down and tried to buy it at a low price, with Zoro naturally declining each offer.

"Is that what I think it is?!" said the blue haired swordswoman from before as she looked at Zoro's sword. "It is! Wado Ichimonji!"

"You again?!" Zoro said as the owner got pissed at her for blowing his deal. She told them all about how his sword was very rare before the owner tossed her blade Shigure to her.

"You never told us about that sword big bro." Yosaku said as he picked up a sword he liked.

"It's amazing that you have that kind of sword." Tashigi said as Zoro was now looking for some swords. "But you're looking for three? That reminds me of a bounty hunter called Roronoa Zoro." she said before she sighed. "Why are the best blades in the hands of pirates or bounty hunters?"

"Something wrong?" Johnny asked.

"No." she said before holding up her blade. "It's just that I made a vow to obtain these blades ."

"Like my blade?" Zoro asked.

"No no." she said. "Not for me. Just to keep them out of evil hands." Zoro smirked at her that she didn't know who he is before his eyes widened at the sword he grabbed.

"What?" he said before he pulled out the blade. Tashigi stared in awe before she flipped through a book, while the owner had a grim look on his face.

"That's Kitetsu III!" Tashigi said before talking about it and the ones that came before it.

"I won't sell that blade!" the owner yelled. He and Tashigi talked about why not, along with Ippon-Matsu's wife before Zoro interrupted them all.

"It's cursed." he said, gaining everyone's attention.

"You knew?!" Ippon said.

"It is?!" Johhny and Yosaku said in unison.

"I can feel it." Zoro said. Ippon-Matsu then told them about how everyone who carried a Kitetsu sword met a horrible death. Tashigi bowed and apologized for saying he should get it, but Zoro only smirked. "I like it. I'll take it."

"WHAT!?" they all said.

"Didn't you hear what he said big bro?!" Johnny asked.

"I know you want good blades, but wanting a cursed blade is nuts!" Yosaku yelled.

"My luck...or its curse." Zoro said. "How about we find out which is stronger?" He then tossed the blade into the air before holding out his left arm.

"BIG BRO?!" Johnny and Yosaku screamed.

"Look out!" Tashigi yelled.

"That sword's sharpness is real! You'll lose your arm!" Ippon-Matsu yelled.

"Then it just means I don't have what it takes." Zoro said before he closed his eyes, blocking everything but the sword from his mind. He heard the sword spin in the air as it came down and, to everyone but Zoro's surprise, hit his arm with it's back, leaving him unharmed as it sank into the wooden floor. "I'll take it." he said with a smirk. Everyone fell down to their knees or backsides in awe/relief as Zoro took the sword out of the floor. "Hey you. Find me another sword." he told Tashigi.

"R-right." she said before Ippon told them all to wait before running to the backroom and coming back with another sword.

"This is Yubashiri." he said. "Our shop is small, but it's the best blade I have."

"I can't afford it." Zoro said.

"Take it and the Kitetsu, free of charge." Ippon said. "It's my way of apologizing for trying to cheat a real swordsman." he said. Johnny and Yosaku bought themselves some swords with their own money before leaving to follow Zoro.

"Who was that guy?" Tashigi asked as Ippon's wife told him to take out the garbage.

()()()()

Nami and Nojiko were walking through town with some shopping bags before Nami stopped.

"What's wrong Nami?" Nojiko asked as she stopped and looked at her.

"Why'd you really come along?" Nami asked. They looked at each other before Nojiko smiled.

"Truth be told, I don't know." she said. "Something in me said to go with you guys. That's all." she said. It was true that whatever it was, she wanted to go along as well.

"That's it?" Nami said.

"That's it." Nojiko said before she started walking again. Nami followed as the wind picked up a bit. "You sure there's a storm coming?" Nojiko asked as she looked up at the blue sky.

"Yeah. A big one too." Nami said.

()()()()

Gin was walking through town, just minding his own as he was lost in thought.

'Back to the Grand Line.' he thought with a grim look. 'I must be crazy. One week and that Hawk-eye bastard destroyed Krieg's whole fleet. And there are six more like him.' He sighed as he looked to the sky. 'I won't deny it. I'm terrified to go back. Yet that kid sounds like going there is like having a picnic. I just hope he knows what he's doing.' He kept walking, even though he noticed a group of 20 people carrying blades and guns were slowly surrounding him. He stopped when they left him with nowhere to run.

"Remember us?" one of them asked as the others had mixed expressions from crazed to angry.

"Not really." Gin said in a bored tone.

"You should! We're all thats left from pirate crews that your Captain destroyed!" another shouted.

"Don Krieg robbed us of our dreams of going to the Grand Line to find the One Piece!" one more shouted. At the mention of Don Krieg, spectators around them began to talk in silent whispers of fear.

"What does that have to do with me?" Gin asked. "I'm not a Krieg pirate anymore."

"Is that so?" said a tall man with a blade in his hand. He had on gray jeans, blue shirt, orange hair that was buzzed, and black shoes. "You were under his rule when you attacked us, so we'll kill you first before we find and kill Krieg!" He then ran towards Gin, who didn't move from his spot.

"Moron." Gin mumbled before he dodged the attack and elbowed him in his ribs, crushing them before the guy fell down in pain. He then took out his tonfa before spinning one around and grinning. "Who's next?"

"GET HIM!" one of them shouted before they all ran at him. One ran ahead and attempted to lob Gin's head off, but Gin ducked before slamming his tonfa into his back. One managed to knick his face, but that only got his face smashed in. One by one, Gin took them all out before looking at them all and breathing a bit heavily.

"Thanks for the exercise." Gin said before he put away his tonfa and starting walking on. He kept walking even with the spectators looking at him in fear. "Stop staring at me." he said, causing them all to freak out and hide. All except a few men under some cloaks.

"Hey you." one of them asked.

"Now what?" Gin asked, clearly annoyed that he couldn't get a moment to think. "If you're here for a fight, you'd better reconsider."

"Nah, we have no beef with you." another said. "We're looking for a guy with a straw hat. You seen this guy?" he asked before bringing up Luffy's wanted poster. Gin looked at them with narrowed eyes.

"What do you want with that kid?" he asked.

"Our captain wants him dead, so we're looking for him." another said before they all smirked under their cloaks, unaware that Gin was going for his tonfas.

()()()()

After a few close calls, and a few encounters with Smoker, Luffy was finally on top of the execution and was staring around. "I missed this view." Luffy said as a bunch of people were looking up at Luffy.

"Hey you!" yelled an officer with a loudspeaker. "Get down from there!"

"Why?" Luffy asked.

"That platform is property of the World Government! Get down from there now!" he yelled.

"Say the magic word!" Luffy called back with a smile.

"NOW! BEFORE I ARREST YOU!" he screamed, clearly losing his patience with Luffy before being knocked out by an iron mace.

"Long time no see Luffy." said the woman with the mace who was now looking up at Luffy. "I've been looking for you." When Luffy looked down at her, that strange feeling hit him again, although it was tiny and very different from when he looked at Nami.

"Hi." Luffy said. "Who are you?" He thought hard trying to remember her, but was having trouble remembering.

"That's rude." she said. "You're telling me you don't remember this face?"

"I'm trying to remember." he said.

"Well, I remember you Luffy." she said. "You're the first man to have ever struck me."

"I did?" Luffy said as some of the fog was clearing in his mind.

"Yes. When you did, it felt good." she said as Luffy tilted his head in confusion. "Listen up boys." she continued. "Who is the most beautiful on these seas?"

"YOU ARE!" the crowd shouted before bowing to her. That question seemed to be the final key to jogging Luffy's memory.

"Alvida?" Luffy asked.

"That's right." she said with a smile. "Glad you remember." Luffy just looked at her as a group of officers surrounded her.

"Stop right there!" one of them shouted. "You're under arrest for attacking a police captain! Drop your weapon!" he said before looking up at Luffy. "And you! Get off that!"

"Who did you say you're going to arrest?" Alvida asked in a sweet voice.

"Y-you." one of them stuttered as they all blushed at her.

"Are you really going to arrest me?" she cooed.

"We can't do it sir!" they all said with hearts in their eyes. "She's too beautiful!"

"I don't care!" an officer said with hearts in his eyes. "Just arrest her!" Before they could do anything, a cannonball blew up the fountain, sending a hunk of it at Alvida before it slid off her, leaving her unharmed as it went towards Luffy, who only caught it before dropping it.

"How'd she do that again?" he mumbled as Alvida spoke with the hooded figures who approached her. Alvida looked up to see his confused face before smiling.

"Surprised?" she asked before removing her cloak, showing everyone her slim body. "I guess I did change after eating the Smooth-Smooth Fruit. No attack can hurt me since it slides right off." she said. "Though it couldn't make me any more beautiful than I was before, it did get rid of my freckles."

"Right. That's it." Luffy said, though his face said otherwise. "So what are you here for?"

"To make you, the only man who has ever hit me, all mine." she cooed. "And these guys were looking for you as well." she said as the cloaked men revealed themselves to be Buggy and his crew.

"Now that I've flashily made my entrance, it's time for the real show to start!" he shouted. He then went into a long rant about some of his adventures before screaming "WHY AM I TELLING YOU A STORY?!

"Don't know." Luffy said. "Didn't you learn anything about the last time we fought big nose?"

"YOU DARE CALL ME BIG NOSE!?" Buggy shrieked. "I, BUGGY THE CLOWN, AM GOING TO KILL YOU FOR THAT YOU RUBBER BASTARD!"

"Buggy the Clown?!" some of the audience said before running, only to be stopped by his crew.

"Stay flashily right where you are!" Buggy shouted "Everyone's going to see how scary I am!"

"Really?" Luffy asked. "By having your crew do all the work like this?" Luffy said as he found himself caught in a stockade thanks to Cabaji. "Hi again." Luffy said in a calm tone as if he was talking to an old friend.

"Hello again rubber freak. How's Zoro doing?" Cabaji asked in a smug tone.

"Nice shot Cabaji!" Buggy screamed as he announced that to his 'followers' that he would flashily execute Monkey D. Luffy. Luffy just looked around bored, remembering how stupid Buggy is before he looked down at Alvida.

'Maybe she'll join if I ask.' Luffy thought before being brought out of his thoughts by Buggy's yelling.

"Do you feel honored kid? You're about to die right where Gold Roger did years ago." he said with a smirk.

"Is that so?" Luffy asked with a blank face. Buggy nearly fell over at his calm attitude.

"OF COURSE! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU! WHAT ELSE DO YOU THINK WOULD BE HAPPENING?!" he screamed as it started to cloud up in the sky.

"You couldn't kill me before." he said with a smile, which caused Alvida to grin and piss Buggy off.

"QUIET! I NOW START THESE FESTIVITIES WITH YOUR DEATH!" Buggy screamed, sending his men into an uproar as they cheered.

"Guess this is the end." Alvida said with a sad smile.

"Any last words rubber boy?" Buggy asked as he brought out a sword. Luffy smiled before taking a deep breath before speaking with everything he had.

"I AM THE MAN WHO WILL BE KING OF THE PIRATES!" he shouted with the wind. His words left everyone in awe as if they thought he could do it, but Buggy was still laughing at his statement.

"If that's all you have to say, then let's get this started!" he said as he raised his sword.

"STOP THE EXECUTION!" Zoro shouted from behind the crowd. He, Sanji, Johnny, Yosaku, and Gin had met up and were looking for Luffy. They ran towards the square when they heard him shouting.

"RIGHT NOW!" they all shouted.

"Guys!" Luffy said. He was glad to see them all as everyone looked at them. None of them noticing Smoker and the marines moving into position.

"The moment Straw Hat dies, take all the other pirates down." he ordered.

"Yes sir!" the marines said quietly. As they were talking, Tashigi saw the man she met before through binoculars as a marine said that he was Zoro and a member of the Straw Hat Pirates.

"He's...Zoro?" she asked.

"Luffy, you moron." Zoro said with a smirk. "Guess goofing around finally caught up with ya."

"Is this really the time to make jokes big bro?" Johnny asked.

"Yeah." Yosaku agreed. "He's got Brother Captain up there ready to kill him!"

"Like he'd be killed by some side-show freak like that." Sanji said as he puffed on his cigarette.

"How'd he get trapped anyway?" Gin asked.

"HAHAHAHA!" Buggy laughed. "Glad you could make it Zoro. Feel free to watch your friend die!" he said before raising his sword into the air. At that moment, all of them began charging towards the platform to stop that sword. Luffy watched, remembering that Zoro and Sanji took too long because of the numbers. This time, with Johnny, Yosaku, and Gin, they were plowing through the pirates like they were blades of grass.

'They're doing great!' Luffy thought before he sensed that Buggy was about to drop the sword onto his neck. He then felt the same way he did last time he was faced with death. "Zoro! Sanji! Usopp! Nami! Gin! Nojiko! Johnny! Yosaku!" he said before smiling at the crowd. "Sorry. I'm dead." The sword then came down towards his neck as his as the five Straw Hats and Smoker gasped for different reasons.

"NO!"

"DON'T SAY THAT!"

"BIG BRO!"

"CAPTAIN!"

"He smiled?!"

All of them thought the worst before electricity sparked around Buggy's sword. Then, as if the Heaven's still said Luffy should live, a bolt came down, setting the platform ablaze as it twisted and fell. Everyone fell silent as they gapped at the scene, unable to figure out how that happened as Luffy's hat fluttered to the ground before his feet. He picked it up as he smiled before placing it on his head and laughing.

"LUCKY!" he said before walking towards his crew.

"What...how...?" Johnny stuttered as Yosaku fell on his ass in shock. Gin's tonfa fell from his hands as Sanji let his cigarette fall from his mouth. They weren't the only ones surprised as Smoker stared with wide eyes.

'Just like Gold Roger, he smiled just before he was killed. Why?' he thought before he ordered his men to capture them.

"Divine Intervention?" Sanji said.

"Stop talking nonsense!" Zoro said. "The marines are here! We gotta go!"

"He's right!" Yosaku said as he stood up before they started running.

"I'll catch up to you guys!" Luffy said before turning to Alvida. "Hey, you seem pretty strong." She just stared at him after coming out of her shock. "Wanna join my crew?" Luffy asked. Alvida just looked at him, baffled that he would ask.

"Did I hear you right?" she said as a marine tried hitting her with a sword, only for it to slide away before she hit him with her mace.

"Yeah. I want crewmembers." Luffy said before dodging a sword and punching another marine away. "How about it?" Alvida just looked at him before letting out a laugh.

"You're crazy kid." she said before she stopped laughing. "How about this? If you can manage to touch me, I'll join. Deal?"

"Deal." Luffy said before he walked up to her and grabbed her hand, shocking her that it didn't slip away. "Let's go!" he said before running away, still holding on to her hand.

'His hand didn't slip away? How is he able to hold onto my hand?' Alvida thought. She looked back at Luffy before smiling. 'Well, a deal's a deal." she thought before running at Luffy's pace and looking back at the fallen platform and seeing it and Buggy on the ground charred. 'If he can survive that, it might just be worth it to go with him.'

"Capture them!" a marine shouted as Buggy was now trying to deal with being in a sea-stone net.

As they ran, it began to rain hard as Marines tried to stop them, only to be beaten easily by Luffy and his crew. While he did, Smoker was still stunned by what he saw.

'He smiled. Did he know he would survive?' he thought. 'No. He knew he was going to die and smiled.' He then heard that the rain rendered their gunpowder useless, so the squad at the Western Harbor left to resupply and that if they left, the tailwind would help them escape. 'It's as if Heaven itself wants that boy to live!'

()()()()

Moments before this happened, Mohji was riding Richie to the Straw Hat's ship, intending to burn it down. He had a match burning with a twisted smile only for it to be wiped off as a drop of rain fell on it, which was soon followed by a downpour.

"How can we start a fire now?!" Mohji yelled before Usopp shouted at him to get away from the ship. After dealing with him, distracting Richie with an egg, and fending off some marines, Usopp, Nami, and Nojiko boarded the ship and waited for the others to return.

()()()()

As the others were running, they came across Tashigi, who was angered that Zoro lied to her about who he was and that she would take his sword from him. Zoro stayed to fight her as the others kept running. After a quick duel, which Tashigi lost, Zoro resheated his swords.

"No one's taking my sword from me." he said before he tried to walk away.

"Why are you letting me live?" she asked. "Is it because I'm a woman?" Zoro stopped at those words as she went on about how just because she's a woman that he takes pity on her. She kept going on before Zoro snapped.

"IT'S YOUR EXISTENCE I CAN'T STAND! NOT YOUR GENDER!" he shouted before he said that she looked and sounded like a friend he once knew. Soon, both were in a screaming match as the marines looked on with a few sweatdrops on their heads.

()()()()

Luffy and his crew were running away before Johnny noticed they had one more with them.

"Who's that?" he asked. Everyone looked at Alvida and Luffy.

"She just joined our crew!" Luffy said smiling. "Her name's Alvida."

"Alvida?" Yosaku asked.

"HI LADY ALVIDA!" Sanji said as he went into love-mode.

"We got company!" Gin said as they all stopped in their tracks.

"So you came, Straw Hat Luffy." Smoker said. He was standing in front of them all, blocking Luffy and his crew from continuing onward.

'Smokey! Crap! If I show him I have Haki or know the Six Powers, the Marines might send tougher guys. All I can do is dodge and hope to escape.' Luffy thought. "Go on ahead guys. I'll handle this."

"Not happening!" Smoker said as smoke came out of his arms before turning into a sort of barrier across the street.

"What?!" some of them screamed out.

"The Smoke-Smoke Fruit." Smoker said. "As a captain of the Marines, I vow not to let you leave this island!" he said before a smoke fist came towards Luffy. Luffy dodge it easily while his crew tried to take a chance and run past the smoke that vanished when he attacked at Luffy. "No one's getting through!" he said before his smoke caught them all.

"I can't move!" Gin said as he tried to hit the smoke with his tonfa.

"And I can't slip out!" Alvida shouted. While they were struggling, Smoker tried to attack Luffy again, but Luffy kept up just enough to dodge every single attack. Soon, both stopped before glaring at each other.

"Let my friends go!" Luffy said in a low voice.

"Not a chance." Smoker said. "48,000,000 berries is your bounty? Eh, doesn't matter. I've never let any pirate make it through this town, and I never will." he said as he reached for his jutte.

"There's a first for everything." came a voice from behind Smoker as a hand reached out and grabbed the jutte, keeping Smoker from using it. All of them turned to see a tall man in a green cloak step out of the shadows.

"You?!" Smoker said as lightning flashed, revealing the face of Dragon for a moment. Some of the crew freaked at seeing him, while the other half didn't know who he was.

"Who are you?" Luffy asked. Dragon merely smiled at him before looking back at Smoker.

"Now the Government can have your head." Smoker said.

"The world is still waiting for our answer." Dragon said before an green light filled the area, along with a powerful gust of wind. Luffy looked at Dragon before he and his crew were blown away, leaving Dragon and Smoker where they stood.

"Why'd you help them?" Smoker demanded.

"Why do you wish to keep a man from sailing?" Dragon asked back.

()()()()

"This storm's getting worse!" Nami shouted.

"Hey guys!" Luffy screamed as he and the others came running up to them. "We're here!"

"Get on the boat guys!" Nojiko yelled.

"And hurry!" Usopp hollered. Everyone gathered up on the boat before the unfurled the sails and sailed away, with the wind helping them along.

"Who's that?" most of them asked as they looked at Alvida.

"Our new crewmate." Luffy said.

"Name's Alvida. I'll be joining you guys from here on out." she said.

()()()()

A moment later, Smoker and the marines arrived at the harbor.

"They got away." a marine said.

"I'm sailing after them." Smoker said, shocking most of the marines. "I'm not letting him get away.

"I'm going too." Tashigi said. "I can't let that man get away with that sword!"

()()()()

"There's a light up ahead!" Nami said. Everyone was staring at it with excitement, or worry in Gin's case, as they all felt themselves getting closer to the Grand Line.

"Never thought we'd be heading for the Grand Line." Johnny said with a smile.

"Me either. I can't help but feel excited!" Yosaku said.

"I'm going back to that sea again." Gin said with a grim look.

"Relax Gin." Nojiko said. "This is going to be fun."

"She's right." Nami said with a smile.

"Let's mark this occasion with some words!" Sanji said as he rolled out a big barrel.

"I agree." Usopp said as he let go of the mast before they all gathered around the barrel. Sanji put his foot on top of the barrel, with each of them placing a foot on afterwards.

"I'm going to find the All Blue." Sanji said.

"I'm gonna be King of the Pirates!" Luffy said.

"I'm going to be the best swordsman!" Zoro said.

"We're going to be the best swordsman duo-" Johnny started.

"The whole world has ever seen!" Yosaku finished.

"I'm going...to be a brave warrior of the sea!" Usopp said after some thought.

"I'm going to draw a map of the world!" Nami said.

"I'm going to help you see that dream come true sis!" Nojiko said.

"I"m going to captivate the world with my beauty!" Alvida said. Everyone then stared at Gin, who's eyes were shadowed as he stared at the barrel. He then smiled before placing his own foot up there.

"To never run from the Grand Line again!" he said. All of them smiled as they looked at the barrel. Each feeling their resolve harden before Luffy shouted out.

"And now," Luffy yelled before they raised their feet into the air, then brought them down to smash the barrel. "TO THE GRAND LINE!"

"YEEEEAH!" they all shouted as they sailed onward to the Grand Line.

* * *

A/N: I couldn't think of anything to change about the barrel scene. What did you think of the new members goals? Hope you enjoyed. Also, since all of you have said not to do it, I'll skip the Apis Arc or whatever it's called.


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